The future of the Baltimore Ravens defense seemed secure one year ago.
On every level, the Ravens had stars. Highly paid ones, at that.
Inside linebacker Roquan Smith signed a 5-year, $100 million contract extension in 2023. Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike signed a 4-year, $98 million contract extension in 2024. Safety Kyle Hamilton, perhaps the NFL’s most versatile defensive player, wound up with a 4-year, $100.4 million contract extension in August.
With first round picks used in 2024 on a cornerback in Nate Wiggins and in 2025 on a safety in Malaki Starks, the Ravens seemed set.
Madubuike’s neck injury in Week 2 changed all of that. The 6-foot-3, 305-pound NFL All-Pro never returned to the lineup and his future playing football is still in doubt.
That means the Ravens need to plan for a future where Madubuike might not be available, which might mean taking a shot an elite interior defensive lineman in the 2026 NFL draft.
ESPN Predicts Ravens Will Take ‘Wrecking Ball’ DT
ESPN’s Field Yates’ latest mock draft predicts the Ravens will take Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods with the No. 13 overall pick in the first round — an unusually high place for the Ravens to be picking.
Since 2018, the Ravens have picked above No. 25 just once, when they took Hamilton at No. 14 overall in 2022.
“With Travis Jones scheduled for free agency and Nnamdi Madubuike out for the year with a serious neck injury, defensive tackle is an area of need for Baltimore,” Yates wrote on December 10. “It’s always wise to look beyond the box score with defensive tackle prospects, and that’s especially the case with Woods. He has only 5.0 sacks in three seasons, but he can create havoc at the line of scrimmage. Woods has the agility and quickness that could allow him to move out to the edge for some snaps as well … he’s a lock in the first round.”
Woods, 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, is still just 20 years old.
From NFL Draft Buzz: “Born in the heart of Alabama football country, Peter Woods established himself as a generational talent long before setting foot on Clemson’s campus … Now in his junior season, the 6’3″, 315-pound wrecking ball has firmly established himself among college football’s elite defenders. After spending significant time at defensive end in 2024, Woods is expected to shift back inside in 2025, where his combination of power, quickness, and technical savvy could elevate him from standout to superstar.”
Tough Sledding Without Madubuike in 2025
The Ravens entered the season as Super Bowl contenders but started the season 1-5 and are now 6-7 overall headed into a critical, Week 15 road game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Much of those struggles can be chalked up to not having Madubuike, an NFL interior defensive lineman with few peers.
The 28-year-old Madubuike broke his silence for the first time following his injury on his Instagram stories with a post of him looking fresh to death — and a tad slimmer, possibly — along with 3 crystal ball emojis.
“Nnamdi Madubuike breaks his social media silence with … inscrutable emoji,” The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer wrote on X on Satuday, December 6. “Ravens placed the All-Pro on season-ending IR in September because of a neck injury.”
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