Baltimore Ravens: Reassessing Draft Needs After First Wave of Free Agency

The Baltimore Ravens got hit hard through the first wave of NFL free agency. 

As soon as the signing period began, they lost All-Pro defensive lineman Haloti Ngata after trading him for draft picks to the Detroit Lions.

Then came the departures of linebacker Pernell McPhee, tight end Owen Daniels and wide receiver Torrey Smith. Those three played pivotal roles for a Baltimore team that made it to the divisional round of the playoffs last year. 

Needless to say, the Ravens' draft needs have changed dramatically through the first week of free agency. They can't sit back and sulk if they want to get back to the playoffs next season. 

The following positions must get upgraded between now and the end of the 2015 NFL draft. I've ranked them based on order of importance on draft day.

3. Tight End

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The Ravens don't have a reliable tight end heading into the 2015 season after Owen Daniels signed with the Denver Broncos. 

Daniels played a big role in the Ravens' resurgence in 2014, hauling in 56 balls for 638 yards and five scores in 16 games.

He became the full-time starting tight end after Dennis Pitta went down with a season-ending hip injury. That same hip may cause Pitta to retire due to chronic pain. 

According to BaltimoreRavens.com, the team might not know Pitta's status until the summer, which makes adding a tight end early in the draft a must now. Phillip Supernaw and Crockett Gillmore are the only other tight ends currently on the roster that played last year. 

Minnesota's Maxx Williams is widely regarded as the top tight end prospect in this year's draft. Does Baltimore pull the trigger if he's on the board with the 26th overall pick? 

If the Ravens don't get Williams, Miami's Clive Walford is another option. He's a nice Day 2 prospect that NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compares to Colts tight end Dwayne Allen. 

Walford is a better blocker than Williams and would help keep the run game strong while also being a solid pass-catcher. He's probably a better target in the second round than Willams in the first, where a position of bigger need should be addressed. 

After those two, Penn State's Jesse James is the only other tight end prospect CBS Sports has in its  top 100 overall players. Ironically, NFL.com compares him to current Ravens backup tight end Phillip Supernaw. 

If Baltimore chooses to draft a tight end, it will be better off drafting one early. Otherwise, it could end up with another backup who can't step up and assume the No. 1 role. 

2. Cornerback

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The Ravens needed to add a cornerback before free agency opened, and that has not changed. 

Baltimore has yet to sign another corner, and there's still the possibility starter Lardarius Webb is cut, though that appears doubtful now.

The two sides were working on a new deal, but talks have since stalled, per Aaron Wilson. either way, he's a liability at corner, and Jimmy Smith is coming off a season-ending foot injury. 

This past year Webb finished with the fourth-worst grade of any Baltimore defender, according to Pro Football Focus, which also ranked him 41st out of 54 corners who played in at least 60 percent of their team's defensive snaps

Adding to Baltimore's secondary woes, No. 3 corner Asa Jackson is coming off a season-ending knee injury. Another cornerback must be added early in this year's draft, possibly even in the first round. 

LSU's Jalen Collins could be available when Baltimore is on the board with the 26th pick. The Former Tiger was one of the SEC's best corners this past year.

NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein said Collins has a "rare combination of height, weight and speed." You don't often see six-foot corners that can move and cover like Collins does so well, and he should be on Baltimore's radar.

So too should Washington's Marcus Peters. He's a tremendous talent with character concerns that will likely lead to him being on the board for the Ravens in the first and possibly even second round. 

ESPN's Kevin Weidl believes Peters is this year's No. 1 corner, but repeated disciplinary issues led to his dismissal from the Huskies this past season.  

Whether it's one of those two or another guy, Baltimore must take a corner early in this year's draft. 

1. Wide Receiver

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Before free agency began, the Ravens' biggest need in the draft was at wide receiver. After the first week of signings and departures, that need has greatly increased.

That's because no pass-catchers have been signed and Torrey Smith is now with the 49ers. He signed a big deal with San Francisco that Baltimore could not match, and now the Ravens are without their top pass-catcher of the past four years. 

With Baltimore holding the No. 26 pick in this year's draft, it could possibly replace Smith with its first pick. This is a deep draft class for receivers. There should be at least one quality prospect on the board when the Ravens are on the clock. 

One receiver who could be there is Arizona State's Jaelen Strong. Over the past two years in college, the 6'3", 215-pound Strong caught 157 passes for 2,287 yards and 17 scores.

CBS Sports' Dane Brugler compared Strong to current Saints receiver Marques Colston, while NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compared him to Dwayne Bowe. 

Both Colston and Bowe have been Pro Bowl-caliber receivers at points in their NFL careers. That's something Baltimore needs to find in whatever receiver they get early in this year's draft.

If the Ravens want to move up in the first round, they may be able to nab DeVante Parker out of Louisville. Through his four years in college, the 6'3", 209-pound Parker caught 156 passes for 2,775 yards (17.7 avg) and 33 scores. 

As of now, those look like the two most realistic targets for Baltimore in the first round if it doesn't reach for someone that should go in the second round. 

Still, there will be other quality pass-catchers like Miami's Phillip Dorsett or Auburn's Sammie Coates in the latter rounds who could make impacts as rookies.

Whenever Baltimore ultimately decides to take a receiver, it needs to hit on that pick, as this is the biggest need for the team heading into April's draft.