Baltimore Ravens: Deep Cornerback Class Is Good News
By Hassan Zakai
Baltimore Ravens Glad To See Deep CB Draft Class…
For two straight years the Ravens have been unsuccessful in fielding a reliable secondary. While injuries have played a large role, the lack of quality depth has been the team’s biggest hindrance for success.
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Jimmy Smith is a top-10 corner when healthy (which hasn’t been often); as he is still battling nagging ailments from his Lisfranc injury suffered in 2014. Lardarius Webb permanently moved to safety and Shareece Wright, while serviceable, leaves much to be desired in the ball hawking department. Kyle Arrington was a disappointment last year, having to take a pay cut in order to stay with the team. Will Davis is somewhat of an unknown, playing very well before his torn ACL sidelined him for the year. How he recovers will be an interesting storyline going into the season.
This year’s class of cornerbacks is the deepest since 2011, when Patrick Peterson, Byron Maxwell, Prince Amukamara and Richard Sherman were among those selected.
Vernon Hargreaves III (Florida) and Jalen Ramsey (FSU) are the leaders of the pack. They are both Top 10 worthy picks that will be Day 1 starters. Hargreaves is a smooth cover corner who can make a ton of plays in the running game as well. He is the best fit for the Ravens, but may not present the best value at #6 overall.
If Ozzie Newsome can find a way to deal back with the Browns or Bucs and get Hargreaves then that would be a great deal. Ramsey may be moved to safety, depending on which team decides to take him. He’s got the size, speed and length all teams covet in defensive backs nowadays. His ball skills aren’t as good as Hargreaves and smaller receivers could give him trouble at the next level, however he’s almost certainly a lock for a Top-5 pick.
Going into the mid-first to early-second round, just as Eric DeCosta predicted, there will be a run on corners and this would most likely be the spot where the Ravens can get a quality player. Guys like Eli Apple (OSU) and William Jackson III (Houston) will most likely be gone before the Ravens pick at pick number 36.
They are both tall, fast corners who play a similar game. Mackensie Alexander (Clemson) may be gone as well, but personally I’m not a big fan of his game. He talks a lot but it doesn’t match his production. He’s undersized and had 0 (ZERO!) interceptions in college and only 10 pass defensed.
Options for a corner at pick thirty-six the most likely include Artie Burns (Miami), Kendall Fuller (VT) and Xavien Howard (Baylor). Burns is raw but he’s confident, fast and has great ball skills. He may not start year 1, but will see action at one point or another. Kendall Fuller is the fourth Fuller brother that will be drafted into the NFL.
In my opinion, Fuller is the best out of the bunch. His brother Kyle is a cornerback for the Bears and was picked 14th overall. If Fuller had ended 2015 healthy he may also have been talked about that high. He tore his meniscus in August and was shut down for the season after just 3 games. He had microfracture surgery, with which players have struggled coming back from in the past.
When Fuller was on the field, he was a quality cover corner who was fast and athletic. He has good ball skills and is the most instinctive cornerback in this year’s class. He jumps a lot of routes, and while he’s not right 100% of the time, he usually ends up making a great play.
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Xavien Howard is interesting as he has the ideal size and length for a corner, paired with a confident press-corner mentality and good ball skills. However, his long speed isn’t great and gets called for a lot of penalties that could easily have been avoided.
By the time the Ravens pick with the 70th overall pick, most of the early starting-caliber cornerbacks will likely be gone. However, there can still be some value found, mainly for slot cornerbacks. Cyrus Jones (Alabama) is probably the most interesting option, as a local kid who went to Gilman, he has started for the National Champion Crimson Tide the past three years.
We know how much Ozzie loves his kids from Alabama. Jones’ value mainly comes from his sticky coverage and great return ability. He may have to kick inside and play the slot in order to get a lot of snaps on defense, but he should instantly be the Ravens’ starting punt returner. He returned four punts for touchdowns in his college career, one shy of the NCAA record. He would be a tremendous value at pick 70.
Late round developmental options include the local kid Sean Davis (UMD) and KeiVarae Russell (Notre Dame). Sean Davis is the most interesting guy, as he can play as a safety or cornerback. Versatility is coveted in today’s NFL and he was a defensive leader for the Maryland Terrapins. He is tight in coverage and a strong run defender, with 88 tackles in 2015 and 100+ tackles the two previous years.
Russell mainly played well for Notre Dame and was a boom or bust kind of guy. He made plays but allowed a lot of separation and completions down the field and broke his tibia, ending his season. He may only be a zone based corner at the next level.
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The Ravens are virtually guaranteed to select a cornerback at some point in this year’s draft, but as always the timing depends on how their draft board falls. If the Ravens select a pass rusher at number six overall, expect them to go cornerback with their second or third round choices. As always: In Ozzie We Trust.