Why Ravens Rookie RB Fell to Fifth Round

The Baltimore Ravens didn’t expect to get their hands on their newest running back.

The Baltimore Ravens were eyeing running backs ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft as the team said goodbye to JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards.

While the team signed Derrick Henry, the depth behind him was questionable, and that’s why the team was thrilled that Marshall’s Rasheen Ali fell to them in the fifth round. The Ravens had a high grade for Ali and were surprised to see him fall, but there’s a reason for his drop in the draft.

“He’s an explosive player. I think one of the reasons that Rasheen – if you say he fell – he fell because he hurt his biceps,” general manager Eric DeCosta said. “So, that’s probably one of the reasons. When we evaluate running backs, we’re looking for specific things. Certainly, ball security is one of those things, but this is an explosive guy, very shifty, good vision, [and] he runs hard – all those different things.”

The injury concerns are valid, but, he’s not the only one who has gotten hurt playing football before, and every pick comes with risks. It can be about technique, character, size or injuries, and it just so happens to be the latter for Ali.

That being said, the Ravens clearly see something valuable with him, and he’ll have a chance to fixture into the team’s running back rotation with Derrick Henry, Keaton Mitchell and Justice Hill.