One of the Ravens’ biggest needs entering the draft was at center following the departure of Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum in free agency.
By the end of the three days, the Ravens came away with 11 new rookies but zero true centers.
So, why didn’t the Ravens draft a center? General Manager Eric DeCosta answered that following the draft, saying it was “unfortunate,” while expressing his confidence that the Ravens will have a solution by the time they line up to play.
DeCosta said there were two centers they “really liked” who both went in the second round after the Ravens picked outside linebacker Zion Young, a first-round talent, at pick No. 45.
At pick No. 57 in the second round, the Chicago Bears selected center Logan Jones, the 2025 Rimington Trophy Winner, who replaced Linderbaum at Iowa. At pick No. 63 in the second round, the Los Angeles Chargers selected center Jake Slaughter out of Florida.
That was earlier than most draft pundits, and DeCosta, expected. Most pundits expected them to go in the third or fourth round. However, just as with Linderbaum, the value other teams placed on getting a center “priced” the Ravens out.
“I was a little surprised. I would probably attribute that to the run on offensive linemen in the first and second round, and that trickle-down effect,” DeCosta said.
