NFL Draft: Ravens may be tempted by strong cornerback class

When the NFL Draft gets going, the Ravens will look at every possibility. Cornerback isn’t a top need, but it’s on the table:

When I look at my big board, I see a position that could have a sneaky level of intrigue for the Baltimore Ravens. The cornerback position is loaded this year. If the Ravens are at pick 16 and they have Josh Jackson or Mike Hughes sitting there, they have to be a little tempted. Pairing one of those top-tier pass defenders with Marlon Humphrey would give the Ravens a future in the secondary that other teams would envy.

Cornerback isn’t a desperate need for the team. In fact, I would argue that the Ravens are better off at the position than you would probably think. Jimmy Smith is an injury prone player, recovering from another injury. That would sound a lot worse without Humphrey, Tavon Young and Maurice Cannady. Young has proven that he can be a number two cornerback. Brandon Carr is still on the roster as well. The Ravens are kind of set at cornerback for the moment.

The argument for cornerback is that you can never have enough talent in the secondary in today’s NFL. There are four players at the cornerback position that Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta would at least have to consider: Josh Jackson, Mike Hughes, Denzel Ward and Minkah Fitzpatrick. When you look at these names, remember Fitzpatrick is seen more as a free safety. The fact that Fitzpatrick can play both positions at a high level should intrigue the Ravens.