Ronnie Stanley Injury Update Could Alter Ravens' Draft Plans

The Baltimore Ravens have a big decision to make on Thursday with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Many mocks have the Ravens selecting an offensive lineman with their first-round selection, but that suddenly may no longer be a need.

A very positive injury update on All-Pro OL Ronnie Stanley could end up changing the Ravens' focus with the 14th pick.

Ronnie Stanley Injury Update

NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Stanley is "on pace to be ready for 2022." This is a huge development after Stanley's health troubles over the past two seasons, as the 2019 Pro Bowler returning to form would make the offensive line a much less pressing issue to address right away in the draft.

Stanley starred at left tackle for the Ravens during his breakout 2019 campaign, earning an elite 88.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. His impressive 93.3 pass-blocking grade during that season has been sorely missed, especially after Baltimore struggled in 2021 and failed to make the playoffs.

Getting the former No. 6 overall back at 100% would mean the Ravens can take a different approach with the No. 14 selection. At that point in the draft they'd already have missed out on the top OL prospects and would be settling (even reaching) for a less marquee name.

Having more freedom with that first-round pick could end up being huge as Baltimore looks to retool for a bounce-back 2022 season.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.