2018 NFL mock draft: Is Calvin Ridley the WR the Ravens and Joe Flacco need?

There are numerous teams in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft that could surprisingly take a quarterback. We know the obvious teams that should target a signal caller, but a team like Baltimore is in a group that includes the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers that could theoretically take a quarterback.

However, with Joe Flacco still under contract for the next three seasons, the Ravens could look in another direction early in the draft. That could include offensive line, linebacker, wide receiver, and tight end.

In the SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft, Kyle Barber of Baltimore Beatdown is here to get it all figured out.

16. Baltimore Ravens: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama

Barber: I’m exhausted with the Ravens not surrounding quarterback Joe Flacco with offensive weapons. No more excuses, no more frustration. Yes, the Ravens addressed the wide receiver position by acquiring Michael Crabtree and John Brown in free agency, but I’m not accepting these two receivers as the be-all, end-all. Selecting Ridley at 16 is the right decision; this puts the Ravens over the top on pass catchers. He’s an excellent football player and I’m certain he’ll help the Ravens put points on the board in 2018 and beyond. No longer will the Ravens only pray Justin Tucker can kick them to victory and hope the defense survives a fourth quarter. It’s time for the Ravens to use a plethora of offensive weapons as they did during their Super Bowl run in 2012.

Analysis: Ridley to Baltimore is probably the most popular mock choice of the entire draft season. While Brown and Crabtree are nice additions, neither is the No. 1 option that Ridley would be. Ridley would be the final receiver the Ravens and Flacco need to greatly bolster a terrible position group. If the trio of Ridley, Crabtree, and Brown can’t turn Flacco’s declining career around, people won’t even jokingly ask if he’s elite.

Dan Kadar’s top five players remaining

• 14. Da’Ron Payne, DT, Alabama
• 15. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
• 18. Isaiah Wynn, G/OT, Georgia
• 19. Marcus Davenport, Edge, UTSA
• 20. Josh Jackson, CB, Iowa

The final choice of the day in the SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft is coming up at 1 p.m. ET with Richard Wade of Bolts from the Blue making the choice for the Los Angeles Chargers.