BALTIMORE -- The 2023 NFL draft was held Thursday through Saturday in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

ESPN provided pick-by-pick analysis of each of the Baltimore Ravens’ selections:

Analysis of every pick | Updated depth chart

Round 1, No. 22 overall: Zay Flowers

My take: The addition of Flowers now gives Lamar Jackson his most talented wide receiver group in his six-year career. Baltimore now has four first-round wide receivers in Flowers, Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor, which has turned the Ravens wide receivers from the NFL’s least productive group to perhaps the most improved one. Flowers can immediately find his niche in the slot, where Ravens wide receivers combined for 248 receiving yards last season (worst in the NFL). With Beckham and Agholor on one-year deals, Flowers figures to playing an even bigger role in 2024 and beyond.

Key stat: Flowers averaged 42.9 yards after the catch per game last season, which was third-most among players in Power 5 conferences. That type of explosiveness has been lacking in Baltimore’s passing attack, which hasn’t ranked in the top 10 in the league since 2015. The Ravens' wide receivers combined to average 32.4 yards yards after the catch per game, which was the fourth-fewest in the NFL.

What we’re hearing about Flowers: “If Steve Smith has that much respect for a receiver, you better pay attention. So it's like a perfect DNA match when you got a Hall of Fame-someday receiver like Steve Smith telling you that he loves him, and I like him, Joe [Hortiz, director of player personnel] likes him and John [Harbaugh, Ravens coach] likes him and Todd [Monken, offensive coordinator] likes him. It's like OK, this might be the guy.” -- Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta

Round 3, No. 86 overall: Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson

My take: The Ravens took the clear-cut best player available in Simpson, who was Mel Kiper’s top-ranked inside linebacker and 35th-best overall prospect. It’ll be interesting to see how Baltimore uses Simpson, one of the most versatile players in this draft. He could step into a starting spot at weak-side linebacker if the Ravens trade Patrick Queen, or he can compete for an outside linebacker spot. Wherever Simpson has played, he has been extremely disruptive on passing downs. In three seasons, he totaled 12.5 sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups and three forced fumbles. He recorded 2.5 sacks in 2022 and allowed just three completions on 15 attempts in coverage. That 20% completion rate was the lowest among Clemson players last season.

Key stat: Simpson was one of 11 FBS players last season with at least 200 snaps at inside linebacker, 200 snaps at outside linebacker and 100 snaps at cornerback. It looks like Queen believes the Ravens drafted his successor at inside linebacker. About eight minutes after Baltimore drafted Simpson, Queen sent out a tweet: “Sheesh."

Round 4, No. 124 overall: Tavius Robinson, OLB, Mississippi

My take: The Ravens continue to get younger at outside linebacker, drafting an edge rusher for a third straight year. Robinson joins Odafe Oweh (first round, 2021) and David Ojabo (second round 2022). This addresses an underrated need for Baltimore, which hasn’t re-signed veteran outside linebackers Justin Houston or Jason Pierre-Paul (a combined 877 snaps last season). Robinson, a native of Ontario, Canada, had a breakout season last year as an impact pass-rusher. His seven sacks were tied for sixth most in the SEC. The more impressive stat is his five forced fumbles, which were tied for second most in the FBS.

Round 5, No. 157 overall: Kyu Blu Kelly, CB, Stanford

My take: The Ravens waited until the fifth round to address their most glaring need by taking ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s 17th-best cornerback of this draft. Kelly provides depth, but the Ravens will probably need to add a veteran cornerback after the draft to find their starter opposite Marlon Humphrey. Kelly was known for his press coverage, allowing 12 completions on 31 targets last season. That 39% completion rate allowed was second best among Pac-12 players. His father, Brian, played 11 seasons in the NFL as a cornerback and won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers.

Round 6, No. 199 overall: Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, OT, Oregon

My take: Aumavae-Laulu is a developmental offensive lineman who made 29 starts at right tackle in college and will provide depth for Baltimore. The Ravens have had success taking blockers in this round. The last two offensive linemen drafted by Baltimore in the sixth round were centers Ryan Jensen and Bradley Bozeman, both of whom turned into starters. Aumavae-Laulu has made a huge jump in his football career, going from a no-star recruit coming out of high school to Mel Kiper Jr.’s 25th-best offensive tackle prospect in this draft.

Round 7, No. 229 overall: Andrew Vorhees, G, USC

My take: The Ravens’ best value pick came on their unexpected last selection of this year’s draft. Baltimore surprisingly moved back into the seventh-round to take Vorhees, who tore the ACL in his right knee while participating at the NFL combine last month. The Ravens don’t expect Vorhees to play this season, but they wanted him so much that they traded a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns to get him. Vorhees, a 2022 first-team All-American, was a projected fourth-round pick before his injury. After tearing his ACL, Vorhees went on to record 38 reps on the bench press, which was the most by any player at this year’s combine. “We have every expectation that he will be playing winning football for us in 2024,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said, “and this is a move that really solidified our line for the coming years."