Ravens Draft Alabama Cornerback Marlon Humphrey With The 16th Overall Pick

Wellllll that was a bit unexpected. Classic Ozzie Newsome going with the Alabama guy that nobody saw coming, but probably should have. When the Ravens signed Brandon Carr to a 4-year deal (and also signed Tony Jefferson), it was assumed that the secondary had been addressed and they’d focus elsewhere in the draft. Nope! Not the Oz! Best. Player. Available.

Now most folks would disagree that Humphrey was the best player available at the time. The top names remaining on the board were Jonathan Allen and O.J. Howard . But those are both Alabama guys as well, and nobody knows Bama guys better than Oz. Who am I to second guess him? He surely did his research, talked to the folks down in Tuscaloosa, and this is the conclusion he reached. He’s been right far more often on these things than he hasn’t, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

So who is Marlon Humphrey?

He’s got all the measurables you like to see in a Pro Bowl corner. He’s got good size at just over 6 foot, and he’s got a long wingspan to help battle contested balls. He’s physical as hell, which we all know plays well in the AFC North. He has good speed, coming in at 4.41 on the 40. He has decent ball skills, although he has room for improvement on his footwork and technique. But that’s part of what makes this pick so intriguing. He’s one of the draft’s youngest prospects, as he entered the draft as a RS sophomore. The guy can’t even buy a beer legally in this country until July 8th. He is clearly talented and polished enough to be an NFL starter given that he started 29 of 30 games at corner at fucking ALABAMA, yet he’s also young enough to be considered a project.

Brandon Carr is 31 years old, so he’s not a long-term solution at corner. But having Carr gives the Ravens the flexibility to ease Humphrey into a starting role alongside Jimmy Smith. The secondary now has an embarrassment of riches when you add in two of the best safeties in football and lil Tavon Young blanketing the slot. I’ve been saying for a couple years now that we need to have a better contingency plan for when Jimmy inevitably gets hurt, and now we’ve invested in one. It’s a beautiful thing.

Having said all of that, there’s still work to be done. The Ravens defense just might be the best in the league, but there needs to be a plan for life post-Sizzle sooner rather than later. The defense can obviously stuff the run and now it should be able to defend the pass, but a defense really fires on all cylinders when you get to the QB. Pass-rushers take time to develop, so I would hope that we can find one here in round 2. Otherwise we’re just crossing our fingers and hoping Matt Judon or Kamalei Correa can make a jump in year 2.

The offensive line and receiver also remain major areas of concern. It’s hard to pinpoint what OL position we need because Alex Lewis could be a LG or a RT, but I’d prefer to get a true thoroughbred tackle. It also wouldn’t hurt to go after a center, as John Urschel isn’t really impressing anyone who isn’t a math nerd. And then the WR thing is a whole nother can of worms. If we draft one, cool. If not, throw all the money at Anquan. It’s crazy how little help Joe has gotten over the past decade, but that’s a conversation for another day.

Anyway, defense is king in Baltimore and the Ravens should be set at corner for years to come. In Ozzie We Trust.