After finally resolving their long contract stalemate with quarterback Lamar Jackson on Thursday, the Ravens entered the NFL draft with two clear needs: cornerback and wide receiver.
With some top cornerback prospects still on the board — including Maryland’s Deonte Banks, Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. and Georgia’s Kelee Ringo — at pick No. 22, the Ravens took Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers, adding a playmaker to an offense that wants to improve its passing game.
That leaves a glaring hole at cornerback entering Day 2 of the draft, which includes Rounds 2 and 3 and begins Friday at 7 p.m. With just four more picks — Nos. 86 (third round), 124 (fourth round), 157 (fifth round) and 199 (sixth round) — after trading their second-rounder to the Chicago Bears last season for linebacker Roquan Smith, the Ravens have only a few chances to address their biggest remaining need.
With the help of Pro Football Network’s industry consensus big board and player evaluations from Pro Football Focus and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, here’s a look at which cornerbacks could still be available when the Ravens are on the clock.
Consensus ranking: No. 80 overall; cornerback 10
Size/speed: 6-2, 198 pounds; 4.36 seconds in 40-yard dash
PFF skinny: “Rush has the combination of length and speed that everyone is looking for at the cornerback position. He also has the ball production — 18 combined picks and pass breakups on 72 career targets.”
Consensus ranking: No. 98; CB 11
Size/speed: 5-10, 192; no workout (left knee)
PFF skinny: “Williams has some of the best feet of any cornerback in the draft class and earned above-average coverage grades in all three of his seasons as a starter. Unfortunately, his 2022 campaign was cut short after he tore his ACL against Notre Dame.”
Consensus ranking: No. 102; Nickel cornerback 3
Size/speed: 5-8, 178; 4.41
PFF skinny: “THT is one of the shortest cornerbacks you’ll ever see, measuring in at 5-foot-7 6/8 and 178 pounds. You wouldn’t know it by the way he plays football, though. He broke up 28 passes the past three seasons and picked off five more.”
Consensus ranking: No. 107; CB 12
Size/speed: 6-1, 193; 4.45
PFF skinny: “Moss is a nimble and reliable cornerback. He played 2,606 career snaps at Iowa and earned coverage grades over 75.0 in each of the past four seasons.”
Consensus ranking: No. 112; CB 13
Size/speed: 6-3, 206; 4.47
PFF skinny: “Trice is built like a linebacker who got kicked out to cornerback. He beats up opposing receivers in press coverage, allowing only one catch on 88 press snaps this past season.”
Consensus ranking: No. 115; CB 14
Size/speed: 6-0, 191; 4.52
PFF skinny: “Kelly has four years of starting experience under his belt and, with that, one of the higher football IQs at the position in the draft class. The only year he allowed less than a yard per coverage snap was as a freshman in 2019.”
Consensus ranking: No. 119; CB 15
Size/speed: 5-11, 188; 4.30
PFF skinny: “Bennett has speed for days. He also has production to boot as he allowed only 24-54 targets last season for 309 yards.”
Consensus ranking: No. 129; CB 16
Size/speed: 6-2, 200; 4.57
PFF skinny: “Jones went unchallenged for almost his entire Texas A&M career. He was targeted only 19 times this past fall, allowing 10 catches for 94 yards on 278 coverage snaps.”
Consensus ranking: No. 130; CB 17
Size/speed: 6-2, 188; 4.55
PFF skinny: “Ricks missed a large portion of 2022 after transferring from LSU to Alabama, but when he locked receivers down when he was on the field. He yielded all of six catches on 19 targets for 77 yards with five pass breakups on the year.”
Consensus ranking: No. 131; CB 18
Size/speed: 6-0, 204; 4.41
Brugler skinny: “Smith can be baited off course and leaves too much production on the field, but he has an intriguing blend of length, speed and physicality to match up with NFL receivers on the outside. He is a physical press-man corner prospect.”
Consensus ranking: No. 157; NCB 4
Size/speed: 5-10, 181; 4.42
PFF skinny: “Clark was one of the Shrine Bowl’s biggest standouts during the week of practice. He may be undersized, but he plays with a big chip on his shoulder. He’s one of the most experienced cornerbacks in the class, having played 2,450 career snaps.”
Consensus ranking: No. 163; CB 19
Size/speed: 5-11, 191; 4.47
Brugler skinny: “Mitchell needs to continue and develop his eye discipline to better match up with NFL receivers, but his athleticism, aggressiveness and smarts give him the scheme-versatility that NFL teams desire. He will be ready to compete for NFL starting reps as a rookie.”
Consensus ranking: No. 183; CB 20
Size/speed: 6-0, 189; 4.46
Brugler skinny: “Luter won’t be an ideal fit for every scheme, but he is athletic, long and unfond of receivers who think the catch point belongs to them. He projects as a man-coverage NFL cornerback with the skill set to work inside or outside.”
Consensus ranking: No. 185; CB 21
Size/speed: 5-11, 178; 4.47
Brugler skinny: “Blackmon will sacrifice coverage phase and attract flags when he doesn’t trust his technique, but he is instinctive and aggressive playing the ball in the air. He projects best on the perimeter with man-to-man responsibilities.”
Consensus ranking: No. 197; CB 22
Size/speed: 6-2, 212; 4.55
Brugler skinny: “Garner is a big, physical corner built to match up with size at the next level, although NFL speed will shine a light on his lagging transitions and marginal recovery speed. His best chance at finding an NFL home will be as a zone corner.”
Consensus ranking: No. 200; CB 23
Size/speed: 6-2, 193; no workout (right thumb)
Brugler skinny: “Wright is a long, physical corner who needs to adapt a more disciplined approach, but he has the traits to spy throws, overlap his coverage and make plays on the ball from the perimeter. Not having any athletic testing data pre-draft might hurt him on some teams’ draft boards.”
Consensus ranking: No. 205; CB 24
Size/speed: 5-11, 193; 4.44
Brugler skinny: “Valentine is long, aggressive and athletic and has yet to reach his ceiling as a cover man, but his ball instincts and technique are underdeveloped, making his draft grade much more of a projection than others. He projects best as a long-limbed press corner.”
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