NFL Draft: Pros and Cons to Drafting Marlon Humphrey

The Baltimore Ravens have selected Marlon Humphrey with the #16. I take look at the pros and cons of this pick.

With the #16 pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens have selected Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey. It comes as a bit of a surprising pick, considering that cornerback is not one of the bigger needs for the Ravens. Nevertheless, it is a classic pick by Ozzie Newsome. According to Baltimore Ravens beat reporter Jeff Zrebiec, Humphrey did not even expect to be picked by the Ravens. He did not take a pre draft visit to Baltimore.

It is the kind of smokescreen that they love to do. It did not really seem like they had any interest in Humphrey, but they surprised us by taking him. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of this pick.

The Pros

Humphrey is great value at #16. It might not be the pick Ravens fans want, but it is a solid choice by Ozzie Newsome and the front office. He knows Alabama inside and out. According to Zrebiec, Humphrey was “by far” the best player on their board. The Ravens are known to follow their philosophy of taking the best player available.

Adding Humphrey is immediate help to the Ravens secondary. For years and years the cornerbacks have seemed to be the weak link for the defense. With Jimmy Smith showing health issues, adding a talent like Humphrey is huge. Ironically enough, his draft profile compares him to Smith himself. There is no doubt that he is coming in as a starter. I like the combination of those two on the outside for the Ravens. This allows Brandon Carr and Tavon Young to play to their strengths in the slot and on the inside.

There is no question about Humphrey’s resume. Playing for Alabama, he has come up against some of the best talent in talent in the country. A two year starter for the Crimson Tide, he has played in the spotlight his whole career including two National Championship games. He knows how to find the ball and is very aggressive in coverage. That kind of play is what Ravens football is all about.

The Cons

There is nothing wrong with drafting a cornerback, but many would argue that the Ravens have bigger needs to fill. Most notably wide receiver, pass rusher and even inside linebacker. At #16, they had a chance to fill two of these holes with either Jonathan Allen or Reuben Foster. Both had issues, one with injuries and the other with a drug test, which ultimately led the Ravens to take Humphrey.

If there is any knock against Humphrey, it is his ability to play the deep ball. That has to be a bit concerning when you are playing in a division like the AFC North. It is known for its ground and pound but there are receiver like Antonio Brown and AJ Green who make a living off of the deep ball. The Bengals also added the fastest wide receiver in the draft in John Ross. If Jimmy Smith gets hurt and Humphrey is playing the deep ball, how confident are you? It will be something to watch as the season goes on.

Next: Ravens Select Marlon Humphrey: Instant Reaction

Bottom Line

The pros seems to outweigh the cons with this one. If you are a Ravens fan, you cannot be mad about this pick. I get that there were some other options, but with the top three receivers gone as well as Barnett and Reddick this is a good value pick. Adding depth to the secondary never hurts. When you go up against two of the best wide receivers in the league in Antonio Brown and AJ Green, you need a solid secondary. The lack of depth in the secondary hurt them down the stretch last year in their playoff push. With a deeper secondary, I don’t think they go 8-8. One more win could have gotten them into the playoffs. Defense wins championships and the Ravens are following this philosophy.