The Baltimore Ravens aren’t necessarily in rebuild mode, but they did have a disappointing season in 2025 with an 8-9 record. That’s extra disappointing for a team with an MVP-winning quarterback in Lamar Jackson.
So, when the team makes selections during the 2026 NFL draft, it’ll have to focus on its offense and getting the kind of players that will help Jackson get to a Super Bowl.
So, who will the Ravens take with their first-round pick? As the draft draws closer, more NFL experts are leaning toward one name.
On Friday, Nate Tice and Charles McDonald of Yahoo Sports released their latest picks for the draft, and they have the Ravens going with offensive lineman Spencer Fano out of Utah.
“Whether Fano can hang at tackle doesn’t really matter for the Ravens, who would be more than happy to add his athleticism, versatility, and movement ability as they look to rework their interior,” Tice and McDonald stated. “Fano could even be a potential Tyler Linderbaum replacement at center.”
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“Either way, his run blocking will be highlighted, and if the Ravens look to become more of a zone-heavy team again under new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle,” they add, “then Fano’s light feet and run blocking chops will be a perfect fit opposite of John Simpson.”
I also agree that Fano seems like an apt fit. He’s the kind of offensive lineman the Baltimore Ravens can just plug him in and let the system do the rest. For a Ravens team constantly trying to stay ahead of defensive evolution while protecting Jackson, Fano seems like not the answer but an answer.
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Plus, in Fano there’s a real argument for long-term interior value, potentially even a future answer at center if the team ever moves on from Linderbaum, as Tice and McDonald said.
But the immediate fit is simpler: run game identity. If Baltimore leans further into a zone-heavy approach under Doyle, Fano’s mobility and timing in space become super useful and structural. Pair him next to a powerful presence like Simpson and suddenly, the Ravens are more than contenders again. At least, that’s my take. Time will tell what the Ravens do.
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