Baltimore Ravens Mock Draft: Final 7-Round Predictions

The 2015 NFL draft is almost here, and the Baltimore Ravens will soon be on the clock making their first pick. 

It's been a rough offseason to this point with key players like Haloti Ngata, Torrey Smith and Pernell McPhee now with other teams after helping Baltimore win 10 games last year.

However, the Ravens have had some rough offseasons before, only to bounce back with a great draft that netted them several impact players. 

Even with the players Baltimore lost, they still have a roster capable of contending for a Super Bowl if they can have a stellar draft.

Here is my final mock draft I believe would be the kind of haul that could make Baltimore a contender this coming season. 

Note: The Ravens don't currently have a seventh-round pick, so this slideshow only goes six rounds. 

Round 1

Pick No. 26: Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State

I've been banging the Jaelen Strong drum for most of the offseason, and he's still the Ravens' first pick in my final mock draft.

Baltimore will almost certainly be drafting a receiver early in this draft, and getting Strong in the first round would likely be their best chance to get one capable of starting on Day 1. 

The 6'3", 215-pound Strong is as complete a receiver as you'll find in this draft, as there's no one single thing that makes him special. He gets open in a variety of ways, versus other receivers who may only have good speed or run routes well to get open. 

Strong gets open consistently in every part of the field, running nearly every kind of route possible. That's how he caught 157 passes for 2,287 yards and 17 scores in the past two seasons combined.

What makes Strong really special are his ball skills, as evidenced by his amazing one-handed catch against Notre Dame this past season. 

That's also Strong's No. 1 aspect on his ESPN Scouts Inc. profile: 

"

Big strike zone for quarterbacks with a sturdy frame and long arms. Outstanding hand-eye coordination and enormous mitts that swallow the ball. Is quick to pluck and secure. Consistently high-points the ball. Tracks the ball well and shows very good body control adjusting to throws outside cylinder. Very good focus in traffic to secure throws with defenders hanging onto him.

"

If Strong is on the board at pick No. 26, he'd almost certainly be one of, if not the, best players available. Getting him would be a home run for the Ravens, as they'd address their biggest need with one of the best receivers in the draft. 

Round 2

Nati Harnik/Associated Press

TRADE: Ravens Send Picks No. 58, 122, 125 and 158 to Saints for Pick No. 44 to Select Clive Walford, TE, Miami (FL.)

The Ravens have to get a tight end in this year's draft, and they swing a deal with the Saints to get the best one on the board.

Miami's Clive Walford is one of the best tight ends in this draft, as well as one who's good enough to start as a rookie. If Baltimore doesn't have Dennis Pitta back this year, Walford likely would be the opening day starter. 

It shouldn't cost the Ravens much to move up 12-14 spots to secure Walford, who likely won't fall to their original pick at No. 58. They send two fourths and a fifth to move up and get their long-term answer at that position. 

Walford is a solid run-blocker who's also a big target at 6'4" and 251 pounds. This past season, Walford caught a team-high 44 passes for 676 yards and seven scores.

He was productive throughout his college career, catching a combined 39 passes for 955 yards and six touchdowns in the two seasons prior to his breakout 2014 campaign. 

He's a complete tight end who is good enough to stay on the field if he's just there to be an extra blocker, or he can line up out wide and be a mismatch against smaller corners.

Oh, and the Ravens have already shown they have some level of interest in him. According to The Baltimore Sun, Walford met with the Ravens leading up to the draft. 

Walford would be a great pickup in Round 2, and moving up to secure his services would be a smart move by Baltimore. 

Round 3

Pick No. 90: Sammie Coates, WR, Auburn

Wide receiver is a big need for the Ravens, and that will be the case again in next year's draft if they don't draft two wideouts in this draft. 

After losing Torrey Smith to the San Francisco 49ers this offseason, Steve Smith is the only reliable pass-catcher on the roster. However, he turns 36 in May, and there's a decent chance he's retired by this time next year. 

Even though Baltimore got Jaelen Strong in the first round, they should take a receiver in Round 3 if a good one is on the board. This is such a deep draft class that there very easily could be a second-round prospect on the board here.

In this scenario, I'm projecting Auburn's Sammie Coates to fall this far before the Ravens scoop him up. Where Strong is more of a complete receiver, Coates specializes in getting open deep.

He'd be a great replacement for Torrey Smith. No prospect in this draft resembles Smith more than Coates, whose specialty is getting deep and winning the jump-ball battles Smith excelled at doing.

Over the past two seasons, Coates caught 76 passes for 1,643 yards and 11 scores while averaging a ridiculous 21.6 yards per catch. That shows just how big of a playmaker he is, but Coates is still only projected as a third-round prospect by NFL.com.

At CBS Sports, Coates is projected as a second- or third-round pick, and getting him at this point in the third round would be a steal for Baltimore. 

Round 4

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Pick No. 136: Kevin White, CB, TCU

Baltimore's cornerbacks let them down too often this past season.

A big reason why was not having enough depth after injuries knocked out Lardarius Webb for the first part of the season, before Asa Jackson and Jimmy Smith suffered season-ending injuries later in the year.

Even though all three should be back and healthy in 2015, adding a cornerback at some point in this year's draft is a must. TCU's Kevin White is one of the draft's most complete corners, even though he'll likely be drafted sometime on Day 3.

This past season, the White led TCU with 11 pass breakups and 13 passes defended while recording 51 total tackles and two interceptions. He was a lockdown corner for one of the better defenses in college football, and he could be someone who develops into a starting-caliber NFL corner. 

White would probably go higher in the draft if not for his 5'10", 174-pound frame. That's just too light for his body to hold up over a 16-game season, and he'll need some bulking up in the weight room before he's ready for a full NFL season. 

If Baltimore's other corners can stay healthy, White wouldn't have to play more than 10-plus snaps per game while getting some good experience as a rookie. 

With a year in an NFL weight room, White should develop into a solid defensive back in the NFL, and one the Ravens can rely on.

Round 5

Pick No. 158: Gerod Holliman, FS, Louisville

The Ravens get a steal in Round 5 by getting one of the best ball-hawking safeties in the draft. 

Louisville's Gerod Holliman was all over the field this past season after rarely seeing the field in his previous years. The 6'0", 218-pound Holliman led the nation with 14 interceptions this past year.

That tied the single-season FBS record, and he also deflected 17 passes. He had the kind of nose for the football that is rarely seen in any defensive back. 

However, Holliman wasn't very good as a run defender, often looking to avoid contact and let someone else take the hit. He also had just 16 career tackles and no interceptions before 2014 while playing in just 17 games. 

The fact Holliman was a one-year wonder before turning pro as a junior has NFL scouts concerned if he is really as good as his amazing junior season was, or if it was an anomaly. 

Holliman is projected by CBS Sports as a fifth- or sixth-round pick, so the Ravens could get him without spending a high pick.

Pick No. 177: Corey Crawford, DE, Clemson

Earlier this offseason, Baltimore cut starting defensive end Chris Canty before re-signing the 32-year-old to a smaller contract.

It doesn't look like he'll be a starter for much longer, and finding his replacement should be something Baltimore looks to do in the latter parts of this draft.

That's where Clemson's Corey Crawford comes into play. The 6'5", 283-pound Crawford is a good run-stuffer that maintains his gap well, which is all a 3-4 DE really needs to do.

He did a good job of occupying his gap and allowing outside linebacker Vic Beasley to rack up 33 sacks over the past three seasons. In Baltimore, Crawford's No. 1 job would be to help keep blockers off Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs so they can keep terrorizing quarterbacks. 

Crawford knows how to find the ball too. He accounted for 23.5 tackles for loss and 103 total tackles over the past three seasons at Clemson.

CBS Sports projects Crawford as a sixth-round prospect. Even that late, Crawford might be a guy Baltimore drafts in hopes he can develop into a replacement for Canty in the near future.

Round 6

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Pick No. 204: Marcus Murphy, RB/WR, Missouri

After five rounds, the only thing Baltimore hasn't added to the roster that's a must is a return man. 

Baltimore needs to add one after cutting Jacoby Jones this offseason, and that's where Missouri's Murphy enters the fray. Though he won't hear his name called until late in the draft, Murphy will make a roster because of his elite returner ability. 

The 5'8", 193-pound Murphy finished his college career with 2,837 combined punt and kick-off return yards to go with seven touchdowns scored on special teams.

Murphy also rushed for 1,525 yards and 13 touchdowns while also catching 39 balls for 291 yards and two scores over the past two seasons.

Because he played both running back and receiver in college, the Ravens should get him on the field in a variety of ways as a rookie. More than anything, he could become their primary return man, something they don't have defined right now.