Through Wednesday, the day before the start of the three-day NFL draft, The Baltimore Sun will break down what the Ravens have at each position, the chance they will add to it and what prospects could possibly be targeted with those picks.

Today we’ll look at tight ends.

Current tight ends under contract:Nick Boyle, Maxx Williams, Vince Mayle

Chances that the Ravens will draft a tight end in first three rounds: High. All along, the team’s top decision-makers considered a pass-catching tight end to be just as big a need as a wide receiver.

To this point, they’ve failed to fill it as they’ve finished as an also-ran in the free-agent bidding for Jimmy Graham, Trey Burton and Eric Ebron.

The good news for the Ravens is that this draft features a pretty impressive tight end class.

There’s no sure-fire first-round pick in the group, but Hayden Hurst, Dallas Goedert and Mike Gesicki could all come off the board anywhere from the late first to the middle of the second round.

The Ravens will have to be prepared to pounce relatively early if they want a top tight end.

Possibly on Ravens’ radar:Mark Andrews (Oklahoma), Mike Gesicki (Penn State), Dallas Goedert (South Dakota State), Hayden Hurst (South Carolina), Ian Thomas (Indiana)

Outlook:Hurst and Goedert are considered the draft’s top two tight ends, but the Ravens taking either with the 16th overall pick would seem to be a bit of a reach.

The problem for the Ravens is both will probably be gone — and Gesicki could be as well — by the time they prepare to make their second-round pick. If the Ravens trade back in the first round, that could be a spot to grab a tight end, or they could try to trade up in the second — as they did to get Williams in 2015 — to make sure they get the best available player at the position.

Andrews and Thomas, a Baltimore native who fits the profile the Ravens are looking for, could be available in the third round.

Most of the draft’s top tight ends aren’t known for their blocking, but that shouldn’t be a big deal for the Ravens. Boyle and Williams are good blockers and fine as underneath targets.

The Ravens need to come out of this draft with a complement to them in the form of a fast, athletic tight end who can make plays down the field. It’s really not a question of whether the Ravens take a tight end. It’s a matter of when they turn in the card.

jeff.zrebiec@baltsun.com

twitter.com/jeffzrebiecsun