Ravens looking at Ed Reed's cousin with 2024 NFL Draft visit

The Baltimore Ravens have had a history of excellent safety play, as Ed Reed established himself as arguably the best safety of the last 20 years and Kyle Hamilton seems to be on the path to multiple Pro Bowls. It appears as though the Ravens will look to Reed's family for their next DB upgrade.

Baltimore may need a backup safety, as they ran a ton of three-safety looks last season and lost AFC interception leader Geno Stone to the rival Cincinnati Bengals. Baltimore may have found their next developmental DB in one of the most unlikely places: a service academy.

The Ravens are hosting Air Force safety Trey Taylor for a predraft visit. On the surface, this sounds fairly pedestrian. When one looks into who Taylor's family is, this becomes one of the most obvious team-prospect fits in the entire draft.

Taylor has ties to the Ravens as the legendary Reed is actually a distant cousin of his. Taylor, who made himself known with a tremendous showing at the Shrine Bowl this draft cycle, might follow in Reed's footsteps and wear Ravens purple if Eric DeCosta believes he is worth a Day 3 pick.

Baltimore Ravens hosting Air Force DB Trey Taylor, Ed Reed's cousin

The Ravens have a bit of a history with service academy players, as they drafted NCAA rushing touchdowns leader and Navy star Keenan Reynolds and converted him to wide receiver. Baltimore also signed former Steelers tackle and Army stud Alejandro Villanueva in 2021.

Taylor, who ran a 4.53 40-yard dash and broad-jumped over 10 feet, won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's best defensive back. With three interceptions and some vicious hits on tape, Thrope has the physicality and turnover-creation skills needed to stick in the NFL as a sub-package back.

If nothing else, Taylor is a premium athlete who went through the rigors of a service academy. He could evolve into a special teams stud early in his career, but his springiness and range give him a fairly high ceiling for a Day 3 prospect. With the right tutelage, Taylor could easily shed the "Reed's cousin" label.

If Taylor ends up becoming one-tenth of the safety Reed was with the Ravens, Baltimore would have nailed their draft choice. After winning such an illustrious award from a program that doesn't exactly pump out pro players every year, Taylor's next accomplishment could be earning a regular role with the Ravens.