The Baltimore Ravens finished the regular season with the 23rd ranked passing defense and were then gutted by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC divisional playoff game. Will general manager Ozzie Newsome go after a safety or a cornerback in the draft?
Baltimore's secondary was its glaring weakness in 2014 even though they had some solid names in that department. The unit was missing cornerback Jimmy Smith (broken foot) for most of the year and his absence was clearly noticeable. Fellow corner Lardarius Webb didn't appear to be the same following a torn ACL he suffered in 2013 and they also dealt with injuries to corner Asa Jackson and safety Terrence Brooks.
The defense as a whole had a good season, ranking sixth in points allowed per game (18.9), fourth in rush yards allowed (88.2) and eighth in total yards (336.9), but the secondary surrendered 248.7 yards per game, which ranked near the bottom of the league. They were eliminated from the postseason after Tom Brady was 33-of-50 with 367 yards and three touchdowns in the divisional round.
Additionally, it's never a good sign when four of your top seven tacklers are defensive backs. Safety Darian Stewart finished with 53 tackles, followed by safety Matt Elam (50), Webb (46) and safety Will Hill (42). With obvious depth issues at both corner and safety, will Newsome chase a defensive back in the 2015 NFL Draft with the 26th overall selection?
ESPN Insider Todd McShay has the Ravens selecting cornerback Jalen Collins out of LSU in his latest mock draft. According to fellow ESPN Insider Kevin Weidl, the 22-year-old ranks fourth among cornerbacks in this year's draft class and writes, "Collins is a tall and long press cornerback who has impressive fluidity for a taller defender ... he flashes impressive long speed and an extra gear that gives him a lot of range. He also has the versatility and experience to line up at safety and is physical in run support."
"I think upgrading the secondary is a [bigger] priority for the Ravens," adds McShay. "Collins is still developing, but he has the length and speed to become a good starting cornerback in the NFL."
However, Mel Kiper has Collins going to the Arizona Cardinals at 24th overall. In the event that occurs, the Ravens have some options with cornerbacks P.J. Williams (Florida State), Ronald Darby (Florida State) and Byron Jones (UConn). As for safeties, unless Landon Collins (Alabama) fell to Baltimore at 26, it doesn't look like they'd reach for the others that will likely fall into the later rounds.
They can also spend on the free agent market, which is what they may look to do to add a veteran presence in the secondary. We'll have a clearer idea after March 10 at 4:00 p.m. when the free agency period begins.
