After reviewing the available talent and listening to the rhetoric coming out of the Baltimore Ravens draft brain trust, I feel very strongly that the Ravens are going to draft a cornerback in the second round. The Ravens have been open about their draft plans in the past: Breshad Perriman was a bit of a surprise, but nobody was shocked when Matt Elam, C.J. Mosley and Courtney Upshaw became Ravens early in the draft. It’s no coincidence that the Ravens’ website is floating the idea of drafting a cornerback in the second round.
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Jalen Ramsey, Vernon Hargreaves and Eli Apple are almost certainly first rounders. Beyond that, there are numerous corners who could go as early as early Round 1 or as late as Round 3. I took a look at them and ranked them based on who I would like to see in Baltimore.
1. William Jackson, Houston (6’0″, 189 pounds, 4.37 40-yard dash)
Strengths: Smooth backpedal. Can stay in backpedal a long time before having to flip hips, which gives him ability to react quicker. Incredible ball skills. Has a sense for when ball is thrown and has rare ability to track it. Very fast. Willing hitter. Good reaction time on underneath routes. Can play close to LOS or off ball. Experience on special teams as blocker on punt returns. Good size. Stays with receivers without using hands downfield. Played one of his best games of the 2015 season against best opponent in Florida State.
Weaknesses: Needs to be careful with his hits, many of which would have been penalized at the NFL level for leading with the helmet. Doesn’t wrap up when tackling consistently. Poor time in the 20-yard shuttle at Pro Day is concerning for a position that requires a lot of changes in direction, but did not see an issue in his film.
Outlook: William Jackson has star written all over him. Not many corners blend his technical skills with his size and athleticism. And nobody I’ve watched in this draft, including the top guys, share his ball skills. If Jackson fails at cornerback (which I don’t think will happen), he could have a second life playing free safety with such great ball skills. The highest upside of any corner aside from Jalen Ramsey in this class.
2. Mackensie Alexander, Clemson (5’10”, 190 pounds, 4.47 40-yard dash)
Strengths: Tremendous quickness. Ability to mirror receivers in man-to-man coverage. Willing run defender. Quick to react to routes in front of him. Great effort. Showed ability to turn head and play the ball in the air. Exudes confidence.
Weaknesses: Size works against him on deep balls and run defense. Backpedal was tentative, preferred to shuffle. Not a great tackler. Better defending outside routes than inside routes. Not impressed with his instincts in zone. No interceptions at Clemson, but more a reflection of lack of targets than lack of ball skills.
Outlook: Mackensie Alexander should succeed as a man-to-man cornerback at the NFL level despite his lack of size. The Ravens have alternated between man coverage and zone, so Alexander would be able to find a role in Baltimore. A lot of upside here. Only two years in college.
3. Artie Burns, Miami (FL) (6’0″, 193 pounds, 4.46 40-yard dash)
Strengths: Long physique with long (33.25″ arms). Oozes confidence on tape. Strong ball skills. Had a tremendous interception against Nebraska that would have been a great catch for any receiver. Good jam. Excellent athlete. Quick to react to throws in front of him. Showed understanding of how to defend read option when tasked with guarding the QB.
Weaknesses: Grabby downfield. Two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties his last year in college. Not a strong backpedal. Too quick to flip hips, and not fluid in doing so. Still learning the nuances of the position. Less polish than top prospects in terms of change of direction and grabbiness.
Outlook: Artie Burns has a lot of upside to be a really good cornerback. His swagger, physicality and ball skills would all be fits on a Ravens’ defense lacking all three of those traits, but his tendency to attract pass interference penalties would be an issue with Jimmy Smith having a similar issue. Might need some time before he can be more than a dime back to start.
Xavien Howard, Baylor (6’0″, 201 pounds, 4.58 40-yard dash)
Strengths: Size. Built like a safety. Uses size well in tackling. Mostly good ball skills. Good change of direction for his size. Effort level is there.
Weaknesses: Didn’t look 4.6 slow, but didn’t look fast either. Grabby downfield. Will get called for a lot of holding and PI penalties. False steps on almost every single snap. Often beat deep.
Outlook: A lot of Howard’s flaws can be corrected with good coaching, and you can’t teach his ball skills or size. A bit of a project, but one worth taking on. Might not be willing to take him or anyone listed after at 36th overall though.
Kendall Fuller, Virginia Tech (5’11”, 187 pounds)
Strengths: Has the necessary quickness and speed when healthy. Good instincts and ability to mirror in man coverage. Virginia Tech trusted him in difficult situations.
Weaknesses: Horrible ball skills on deep balls. Doesn’t turn his head to track the ball. Gave up 16.7 yards per completion in 2014, when he was healthy. Torn meniscus limited him to three games in 2015. Bites too hard on double moves.
Outlook: Good production and mostly sound coverage skills, but his lack of ball skills downfield is a complete no-go for me. I would not touch Kendall fuller in the first four rounds in the draft because of it.
Shawn began his writing career with Bleacher Report as a Ravens featured columnist and Breaking News Team writer. He moved on to write for Yahoo! and work on the Ravens Central Radio podcast. Most recently, he was an Editor at the Baltimore Wire. Shawn is a 2013 graduate of the Catholic University of America.