By the end of the 2014 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens depth chart at cornerback seemed held together mostly by duct tape and the will of head coach John Harbaugh.
While Harbaugh was seemingly able to glue the pieces of his backend together in a satisfactory enough manner to help the team reach the postseason and even win a playoff game, it would behoove the notoriously gritty head coach and Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome to add some talent to what had become such a troubled spot by season's end.
According to a recent report, they may be ready to do just that in the 2015 NFL Draft.
The Ravens, per Tony Pauline of Walter Football, are hoping that former Washington cornerback Marcus Peters will be available for them at their spot at No. 26 in the draft's first-round.
A plethora of injuries - Jimmy Smith, Lardarius Webb, Asa Jackson - left the Ravens with a defensive backfield that allowed 248.7 yards per game, good enough for 23rd in the NFL.
Peters, widely viewed as one of the top cover-corner talents in the 2015 NFL Draft and a likely top-10 pick were it not for some off-the-field issues, took part in the Huskies Pro Day last week and, per Pauline, looked "fast, fluid and smooth" during position drills.
Peters was dismissed from the Washington program in November of last year after reported arguments with assistant coaches and other run-ins with Huskies staff members.
While Harbaugh and Newsome have a reputation as no-nonsense personnel executives, Peters would not be the first talented-but-troubled prospect they took a first-round flier on.
Smith, tentatively slated to start the 2015 NFL season at right cornerback for Baltimore, fell to the bottom of the first-round in the 2011 NFL Draft due to concerns over a positive marijuana test and two minor-in-possession tickets while in college at Colorado.
Peters has not deal with any legal matters, but has what Bucky Brooks of NFL.com termed, "football character" issues.
"From speaking with several scouts familiar with Peters and his interaction with the Washington coaches, I've been told that the dismissal stems from his inability to get along with coaches and team officials. Peters reportedly has a strong personality and didn't mind challenging authority about various situations on and off the field," reports Brooks.
The decision by Washington head coach Chris Petersen to allow Peters to take part in the team's Pro Day says a lot, but doesn't completely clear the young, but troubled cornerback in the eyes of the NFL.
There's no denying Peters' talent - he has prototypical size for the position at 6-foot, 197-pounds and he boasts elite fluidity and hip flexibility. He's strong in press-man coverage and more than willing to be physical with wide receivers.
It's rare for a team like the Ravens, used to selecting in the latter portion of round-one to find such a talented prospect potentially available to them.
Despite his off-the-field issues, Peters may prove too enticing to pass-up come late April for Harbaugh and Newsome as they attempt to keep the Ravens ahead of the Steelers, Bengals and Browns in the AFC North.
