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Tavon Young Is Part Of The Solution In Ravens Secondary

By Chris Schisler

Oct 16, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Baltimore Ravens corner back Tavon Young (36) intercepts a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard (87) during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Baltimore Ravens corner back Tavon Young (36) intercepts a pass intended for New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard (87) during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tavon Young could go into the next season as a starting cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens. That may not be a bad thing at all:

It didn’t take long for Tavon Young to become one of my favorite players on the Ravens. Here is a fourth round pick from Temple, who is only 5’9″ and 177 pounds, with a golden chance in his second season. That’s impossible not to root for. Young is almost always the smallest player on the field, and yet it doesn’t matter. Young is sharp. He plays with great technique and can jump out of the gym.

Almost 20 cornerbacks went off the board before his name was called. Young was supposed to just compete for the nickel cornerback spot. Then the Ravens found out that he was better than Jerraud Powers. He was better than Kyle Arrington and he was better than Shareece Wright. When Jimmy Smith was healthy, he and Young became a potent pair of cornerbacks.

I am not trying to shew the Ravens away from adding help in the form of defensive backs. At the cornerback position Smith and Young are the only players they can count on. With Smith’s inability to avoid injury, the Ravens need for depth in the defensive backfield is increased. Baltimore must improve in the secondary, but we cannot count out what they already have working for them.

Related Story: Tavon Young Is The Most Underrated Ravens Player

How Young Fits In The Ravens Secondary:

Young is not a number one cornerback. If you put him on an island with Antonio Brown or Dez Bryant, it will be tough. Young is however a very good number two cornerback. Considering the NFL is lacking a ton of true number one receivers, there will be many games where Young can match up with any receiver on the field.

Because of his size, and his ability to jump routes the best position for him is covering the slot receiver. This is far from a knock on Young. That is what the Ravens drafted him to do. That is what Young’s body is built for. In a perfect world the Ravens would get a cornerback even better than Young to put on the other side of Smith. However, the Ravens can certainly play Young as the number two cornerback. This is very justifiable.

What the Ravens cannot have happen is a scenario where a player of Wright’s talents (or lack of them) is on the other side of Young. When Smith is healthy, the secondary has a chance to be successful. The Ravens need to find a player like Corey Graham was for them. Graham was an under the radar signing who ended up being a starting cornerback. Patrick Peterson like cornerbacks are hard to find. Corey Graham like corners are much easier to find and they are affordable. This means the Ravens problems at the cornerback position may be fixed without a big splash in free agency or a first round pick.

Next: Baltimore Ravens: 3 Round Mock Draft

The moral of the story is that while the Ravens, need more help in the secondary, Young’s skills could make this need a little more manageable. He may not be the entire solution to the problem, but he definitely is part of it. Young exceeded everyone’s expectations this past season with 53 tackles and two interceptions in his rookie year. He will continue to silence his doubters.

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