Out to Lunch: Mock Draft Friday Beefs Up the Trenches

Welcome back to Mock Draft Friday, Ravens Flock. It has been a tough couple of weeks, from the way the Maxx Crosby trade went down and fell apart to the pivot and all the drama that has come with it. At the end of the day, here we are with a better pass rush with some more question marks around the offensive line.

We are doing the Mock Draft today once again through the power of the Draft Network, and I think what we ended up with is pretty good, all things considered.

So let’s break it down:

So if there has been one name that has been very popular since the Crosby trade fell through, it would be Olaivavega “Vega” Loane. He is a rock star as a Draft Prospect: super physical, good athleticism, and a complete butt kicker. The exact opposite of he who must not be named (not Voldemort, but #77), and it seems like he has caught the eye of the coaches as well:

Ravens OL coach Dwayne Ledford is in attendance at Penn State’s Pro Day today, per @jeffzrebiec.

Safe to assume he’ll be keeping a close eye on star guard prospect Olaivavega Ioane. pic.twitter.com/M7GGyxbCGF

— SleeperRavens (@SleeperRavenss) March 18, 2026

If Vega is the pick, then this is an A+ pick, no doubt. With no real trade-down/up options for us, we have to stick and pick, and Vega would be an excellent addition to the team.

We continue to add to the trenches with McDonald in the second. While he does need to work on his pad level as a pro, he does a lot of other things so well as a Defensive Tackle. He is nowhere close to stalling in his development either, as he has the potential to become something much greater when he really starts executing a plan as an interior rusher:

Kayden McDonald | Ranks Among DTs Last Season:

60 Tackles (4th)
91.2 Run Defense Grade (1st)
16 Tackles For Loss/No Gain (1st)
30 Run Stops (1st)@OhioStateFB https://t.co/gvLQV0wKht pic.twitter.com/JL39mdxSpi

— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 13, 2026

Despite that, he still ended up putting up some of the best run defense stats in college. While he has so much more room to grow, he reminds me so much of what Nnamdi Madubuike was coming out as: a run defender first, with upside at pass rusher.

Jake Slaughter has become my favorite pick to replace Tyler Linderbaum in the mid rounds. He is a ready-to-go out-of-the-box level of starter with good athleticism.

Jake Slaughter is a OC prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.91 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 7 out of 679 OC from 1987 to 2026.

Pending agilities and bench, times unofficial.https://t.co/HAfGQiYehj pic.twitter.com/coJadDUQ0y

— RAS.football (@MathBomb) March 1, 2026

If you are looking for a guy who could replace Lindy in the second or third rounds, this is your guy.

Max Llewellyn is a big-bodied run defender who is the type the Ravens need right now, given the way the Edge room is built. Gyllenborg is becoming one of my favorite targets as a mid-round tight end prospect to replace Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely. He has Likely’s body type, but is about an inch taller with more athleticism. Douglas is a big-bodied receiver who could become a target in the end zone, and he ran much better than expected. Durant is undersized but has a ton of pass-rush upside, very similar to Aeneas Peebles from last draft.

Taaffe is a very fun late-round safety with some great hard hits and tackling in there. Wagner is a pure tackle prospect who has solid run blocking tape. Chappell is a solid Corner prospect for this late in the Draft, and Royer is a solid tight end to round out this mock.

I think if this were the Draft we ended up getting, it would be a super-solid haul for the Ravens and put them really close to once again being a Super Bowl contender.

The post Out to Lunch: Mock Draft Friday Beefs Up the Trenches appeared first on Russell Street Report.