The ideal situation for the Baltimore Ravens is to enter next month’s draft without any gaping holes on their roster. That would prevent them from having to reach for need and allow them to adhere to their tried-and-true philosophy of selecting the best player available, at least according to their board.

Of course, that’s much easier said than done, particularly when you’re snug against the salary cap and don’t have much financial flexibility to make moves. There’s also the matter of wanting to preserve compensatory selections.

Over the first two weeks of the new league year, the Ravens did well to keep a few of their top free agents. They also added a couple of pieces to address roster needs. However, nothing general manager Eric DeCosta has done since the market opened has significantly altered the team’s draft outlook and what the Ravens could do with the No. 27 pick.

The offensive line still needs to be solidified despite the re-signings of left tackle Ronnie Stanley and guard Ben Cleveland. At all three levels of the defense, Baltimore has an opening for a rookie to come in and play significant snaps.

When the Ravens are on the clock on April 24, the first night of the 2025 NFL Draft, there are so many directions they could go given the state of their roster. In my big board 2.0, we look at their options.

(Note: The number in parentheses is where the player ranks onThe Athletic’s consensus big board).

Cornerback

The Ravens’ depth chart at cornerback consists of Marlon Humphrey, Nate Wiggins, T.J. Tampa and Jalyn Armour-Davis. DeCosta will bring in a veteran or two, but it’s hard to look anywhere else but cornerback when you’re pinpointing the team’s biggest need. It, however, might be the most difficult position to find a match at pick No. 27.

Johnson and Barron are vying to be the second cornerback taken behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter. Johnson (6-foot-2, 194 pounds) is the type of long and instinctive cornerback the Ravens love, but he didn’t have a great final season at Michigan. His tackling can be spotty and he’s been battling injuries throughout the pre-draft process. Once viewed as a lock to go in the top 15, it’s not out of the question that he could fall closer to Baltimore’s range.

Barron, meanwhile, was a takeaway machine last year (five interceptions) and plays with strong fundamentals and awareness. However, he projects to play nickel in the NFL. That’s where the Ravens use Humphrey and occasionally safety Kyle Hamilton. Bringing in Barron would likely mean Humphrey plays more on the outside, which could limit some of Baltimore’s options.

Hairston, Thomas, Mississippi’s Trey Amos, Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison and East Carolina’s Shavon Revel Jr. are part of the second tier of cornerbacks who figure to come off the board anywhere from the late first round to the late second. It’s not a particularly deep cornerback class, so the Ravens will either have to strike early to get a plug-and-play guy, or they’ll have to find overlooked talent in the middle rounds.

Edge rusher

Penn State’s Abdul Carter will probably be off the board before Ravens decision-makers trickle into their draft room on Day 1. It’s widely expected that Georgia’s edge-rush duo of Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams will go in the 10 to 20 range. There’s a lack of consensus on what comes next.

Stewart and Pearce have enticing traits. Yet, Stewart totaled just 4 1/2 sacks in three college seasons. Pearce has 17 1/2 sacks over his final two seasons at Tennessee. However, there’s been increasing buzz about character red flags that reportedly have him falling down draft boards. As exciting as he is as a prospect, Green is probably a non-starter for the Ravens after he acknowledged that he’s faced two allegations of sexual assault earlier in his career. Ezeiruaku might be the safest pick after a final college season with 16 1/2 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. Is his ceiling high enough?

Three of the Ravens’ top five edge rushers — Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo — are in the final year of their contracts. They have plenty of bodies at outside linebacker with Tavius Robinson, 2024 third-round pick Adisa Isaac and Malik Hamm also in the mix. Still, this is about quality, not depth. The Ravens have abstained from bidding on top edge rushers on the open market, so they have to hit on them in the draft. A high-impact edge rusher seems to be near the top of their wish list every offseason.

Offensive line

The return of Stanley takes some pressure off the Ravens from having to find a plug-and-play blindside protector for Lamar Jackson. It does not, however, eliminate offensive tackle as a need. The Ravens have no depth behind projected starters Stanley and Roger Rosengarten. If they don’t sign a veteran swing tackle, they’ll have to come out of the draft with one.

Perhaps, the best-case scenario is adding a versatile lineman who could be penciled in at one of the starting guard spots but move to tackle when the need arises. Teams are said to be mixed on whether Banks will play tackle or guard at the next level, so he’d fit the criteria. The Ravens would have to be intrigued if Banks falls in the mid-20s. Donovan Jackson played both guard and tackle at Ohio State.

Booker wouldn’t be a sexy pick — guards never are — but he has Pro Bowl potential inside. Lining up between Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum would be compelling. Zabel’s stock is on the rise. The Ravens love versatile linemen, and Zabel can play all five positions up front.

Defensive line

There might be more depth with the interior defensive line than any other position in this draft. That bodes well for the Ravens, who are down two linemen with Michael Pierce retiring and Brent Urban remaining on the free-agent market. The depth of the class could allow Baltimore to hold off until Day 2 or even Day 3 before adding to a group that includes Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Broderick Washington.

Harmon has been frequently connected to the Ravens in the pre-draft process. He’s a better run defender than he is a pass rusher. However, he did have five sacks and 11 tackles for loss last year, proof of his ability to create havoc in the backfield. Nolen is an extremely twitchy and explosive player who has some rawness to his game. His ceiling, though, is extremely high. Grant profiles as a nose tackle at the next level with an enticing combination of size and power.

It’s probably unlikely that all three will be on the board when the Ravens are on the clock, but one, if not two of them, should be. Interior defensive line may not be the team’s biggest need, because the Ravens could start a group right now they’d feel OK about. Still, it feels like this group needs some new blood — and this is the draft to find it.

Wild cards

You don’t have to go too far back to find examples of the Ravens choosing to strengthen a strength with their first-round pick rather than addressing a prominent need. With Marcus Williams and Chuck Clark, the Ravens had a solid veteran safety duo in 2022 when they decided to take Hamilton at No. 14. That worked out just fine and provided more evidence that you can’t rule anything out on draft night other than that Baltimore won’t be selecting a quarterback at No. 27.

McMillan is considered to be at or close to the top of an underwhelming wide receiver class, although some teams reportedly prefer Texas’ Matthew Golden. The Ravens feel good about the trio of Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and DeAndre Hopkins, and wide receiver isn’t one of their primary needs. However, McMillan’s size (6-4, 219 pounds) and ability to play “above the rim” would help diversify the Ravens’ receiving corps.

DeCosta has stayed true to his vow to take more swings at the receiver position. The Ravens have drafted a first-round wideout in three of the past six years. It’s highly unlikely, but you can’t completely rule out another first-round receiver if McMillan falls.

Even with the recent news that he needed shoulder surgery after the NFL Scouting Combine, Campbell probably won’t be there at No. 27. The former Alabama star is one of the cleanest players in the draft class. He can rush from the edge, play off the ball and cover and blitz. The Ravens are looking for a potential starter next to Roquan Smith, and they always covet versatile, defensive chess pieces. Campbell would be a typical Ravens pick.

Some teams won’t pick safeties in the first round, but the Ravens are not among them. With Ar’Darius Washington’s status up in the air, the Ravens could need a starting safety to play alongside Hamilton. They also need overall depth at the position. Both Starks and Emmanwori are great fits. They offer versatility and playmaking ability, two things DeCosta is always looking to add defensively.