2018 NFL Draft: Baltimore Ravens 7-round mock
By Conor Dorney
The re-tooling of the Ravens offense continues in the fifth round with the selection of Boise State wide receiver Cedrick Wilson.
Wilson, the son of former NFL wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, Sr., enjoyed a breakout senior season for the Broncos in 2017, hauling in 83 receptions for 1,511 yards and 7 touchdowns. Wilson was also electric in the return game for Boise State, averaging 25.8 yards per kick return.
At 6-foot-3, 188 pounds, Wilson has great length and good feel as a route-runner. He’s extremely athletic and does a great job at tracking the deep ball and making adjustments when necessary. He isn’t a burner by any means but has enough speed to create some separation.
Wilson has good footwork but seems to struggle against physical press coverage, something that he’ll need to improve before he sees the field on a regular basis at the NFL level. His added versatility as a returner and as a passer on gadget plays (he was a former standout high school quarterback) should help his draft stock. With Michael Campanaro scheduled to hit free agency, Wilson could be the type of player to fill that special teams void from day one of his rookie season.
6th round
The addition of Alex Collins gave an unexpected boost to the Baltimore running game in the absence of Kenneth Dixon, but there’s still a chance that the Ravens opt to take running back in an extremely deep 2018 class.
Much like teammate Derrius Guice behind Leonard Fournette in 2016, LSU’s Darrel Williams was an unheralded stud in the Tigers’ backfield who has a definite NFL future. Williams’ 6-foot-1, 233 pound frame carries a punch when running between the tackles, as he established himself as one of the best short-yardage backs in college football last season. Williams rushed for 890 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2017 and added 23 receptions out of the backfield.
The running back position will be a fascinating one to watch in this draft and it’s likely that once they start coming off the board, teams could be doing quite a bit of wheeling and dealing to ensure that they end up with “their guy.”
Assistant GM Eric DeCosta has stated that the Ravens love their current running back depth of Alex Collins, Kenneth Dixon and Buck Allen, but if the opportunity presents itself to snag a player of Williams’ caliber in the sixth round, expect them to go for it.
7th round (Pick 212)
The Ravens round out their 2018 draft class with a stout offensive lineman from the Palouse, Cole Madison.
Madison started the last 39 games of his collegiate career at right tackle for the Cougars and could serve as a nice bookend opposite 2016 first-round selection Ronnie Stanley. There were some concerns heading into the Senior Bowl about his size but he answered those by measuring at 6-foot-5, 307 pounds with 33 1/4-inch arms and a hand size of 10 3/8 inches.
Madison is well-disciplined from a technique standpoint despite not being a great athlete. He uses his length to his advantage and does a good job at getting his hands inside of defenders. Madison plays with a wide base that allows him to anchor against opposing pass rushers.
With the Washington State offense being a prolific passing attack, there isn’t as much tape of Madison excelling in the run game as you’d like to see, but he at the very least has the fundamentals to become average in that facet of the game.
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Madison received a Combine invite and how he tests should have a good indication of whether he’ll see his name called on Day 3 of the draft or if he’ll need to fight his way to a roster spot as an undrafted free agent.