Missouri's Zion Young Gets Shining Review After Joining Ravens

It’s time to look ahead to the 2026-27 NFL season, now that the 2026 NFL draft is officially a wrap.

Heading out of the event, NFL analysts are sharing their thoughts on the decisions that were made by the 32 franchises in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In that spirit, NFL draft analyst Rob Rang of Fox Sports has published his roster of the best and worst moves in the draft.

“It will take at least three years before we can truly assess how the 32 NFL teams fared over the weekend,” he notes in the piece. “But what is readily apparent is the different approaches that were taken, from going for the best available talent to focusing on team needs to gambling on character concerns and long-term potential.”

The Baltimore Ravens drafted Zion Young with the 45th overall pick in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He’s a 6-foot-5, 267-pound edge defender from Missouri and is already being toted as a great fit for the team.

Rang loves this pick. “Following the loss of All-Pro center Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, it was critical that the Ravens reinvested in the interior, and Vega Ioane was one of the few blue-chip prospects available in this class.”

He adds, “Eric DeCosta came back in the second round with another player in Missouri defensive end Zion Young - one of the most violent and competitive players of this class - seemingly born to play for the Ravens.”

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Rang also believes “this class will have plenty of swishes,” although he wishes they had made “selecting a true center more of a priority given this year's quality class at the position.” He gives them an “A-” for their draft choices.

Grading Baltimore Ravens Draft Class

The Ravens are in a weird spot in their franchise, where they’re coming off a decent season but one that didn’t get them far enough to get head coach John Harbaugh back with the team. So, they have something to prove, and this draft class shows that the powers at be did their homework.

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Is it a perfect class? No, but it shows that new head coach Jesse Minter is serious about taking the leap from defensive coordinator to calling all the shots. Baltimore Ravens draft grade: B+.

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This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 4:35 AM.