Knee-Jerk Reactions: Ravens Go CB-TE-RB in Fifth Round

In the fifth round, the Ravens made three selections:

Duke CB Chandler Rivers

Alabama TE Josh Cuevas

Clemson RB Adam Randall

Our thoughts on the picks…

John Hughey

It was only a matter of time before the Ravens addressed the secondary, and selecting Chandler Rivers gives Jesse Minter some solid options at slot corner. Rivers has shown a knack for getting to the ball, recording 7 INTs and 19 PBUs across four seasons at Duke. He’s a bit undersized at 5-foot-10, 180 lbs, but has the ability to play both man and zone coverage effectively. He was ranked in the Top 100 of my big board, which makes me happy about the value of the pick. With the uncertainty of Longerbeam and Kone’s effectiveness coming off injury, Rivers seems like a great value pick at this point in the draft.

Josh Cuevas becomes the second tight end selected by the Ravens in this draft. Cuevas has drawn comparisons to Kittle and Kelce’s type of playstyle, in his ability to create after the catch. He doesn’t have their ceiling, but he still brings a receiving upside that the Ravens can utilize in the passing game in multiple tight end sets. DeCosta said the Ravens could potentially select two tight ends in this draft, and he delivers on his word. Andrews, Smythe, Hibner, and now Cuevas appear to be the new look tight end room heading into 2026.

The Ravens round out their 5th round with a running back that could fool you for a tight end. Adam Randall stands at 6-foot-3 and weighs 232 lbs, the same height as new teammate Derrick Henry. Keaton Mitchell’s departure almost guaranteed the Ravens would look to add to the position at some point during their 11 selections, but adding another absolute unit to the group is an exciting surprise. Randall racked 526 yards after contact last season, to go along with his 10 touchdowns on the ground. It’s been an offense-heavy draft class, but Randall may be one of the more interesting selections today.

Darin McCann

Chandler Rivers is a fun player to watch, and brings some vibes of another former Ravens defensive back in Tavon Young. Short, smart, tough and aggressive. He doesn’t bring the size that some of the earlier picks have, but he’s a fierce competitor.

Josh Cuevas is a blocker who some saw as a potential full back in the league. He catches the ball well and seems to have a good feel for space. Stop me if you’ve heard this before: physical player.

Adam Randall was one of the most intriguing players for me during this process. Standing more than 6’3” tall, the former receiver is a problem for linebackers and safeties to cover out of the backfield, and he runs hard going downhill. He pass-blocks about as well as Keaton Mitchell, which is… not. But he’s an interesting piece.

Chad Racine

Chandler Rivera cornerback at 5’9″ will be another nickel player and special teams player. The Ravens haven’t fared very well with later round corners in recent years. Hopefully Jesse Minter will have better luck than Harbaugh.

Josh Cuevas is the 2nd tight end drafted today so we can assume like always he’ll be the better player. It’ll be interesting to see how Declan Doyle plans on deployment the tight ends.

Adam Randall, a one year running back that made the switch from wide receiver. Depth was needed at running back and landing one in the 5th round seems like the sweet spot.

The fact that no center has been drafted at this point leads me to believe the Ravens have kept their plans close to the vest like usual. My guess is they believe strongly in Emery Jones making the transition to center.

The post Knee-Jerk Reactions: Ravens Go CB-TE-RB in Fifth Round appeared first on Russell Street Report.

Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/04/25/knee-jerk-reactions/knee-jerk-reactions-ravens-go-cb-te-rb-in-fifth-round/