Ravens choose depth, upside over immediate need by picking Humphrey

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — For years, the Ravens didn’t invest much in the cornerback position.
Since taking Jimmy Smith in the first round of the 2011 draft, Baltimore hadn’t selected a corner before the fourth round in five consecutive drafts, instead going with late-round projects and cheap veteran band-aids to fill out the depth chart behind the injury-prone Smith and a declining Lardarius Webb. The strategy resulted in the secondary remaining an annual weakness as the likes of Chykie Brown, Asa Jackson, Kyle Arrington, Jerraud Powers, and Shareece Wright were asked to fill meaningful roles at one time or another.
That’s why I can’t be too critical of general manager Ozzie Newsome’s decision to take Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey with the 16th overall pick of the 2017 draft on Thursday night. At six feet and 197 pounds, Humphrey’s upside as an outside corner is obvious as he’s only 20 years old and played at a high level for the best program in the nation over the last two seasons. But talent evaluators acknowledge his raw technique and struggles defending the deep ball with a few even wondering if he’s better suited to play safety at the next level. That’s not exactly a dream endorsement for your newly-branded first-round cornerback.
In other words, it’s far from a sure thing that Humphrey will be a starter in 2017, especially with the free-agent acquisition of reliable veteran Brandon Carr last month. There would be no shame in that, of course, as plenty of talented cornerbacks didn’t start as rookies.
There’s no disputing that the secondary is loaded, but did the Ravens maximize their value when you consider their bigger needs and the other highly-rated prospects who remained on the board?
If we’re sticking with Newsome’s Alabama connection alone, defensive end Jonathan Allen and inside linebacker Reuben Foster would have been slam-dunk Week 1 starters and tight end O.J. Howard could have been a much-needed play-maker for quarterback Joe Flacco. Pass rushers such as Takkarist McKinley, Taco Charlton, Charles Harris, and T.J. Watt were also on the board.
Of course, the top three wide receivers were snatched up long before the Ravens were on the clock, but the offensive line also has major holes to be filled.
Would they have been better served grabbing a talent at one of these other positions and waiting to take a cornerback with this draft considered so deep at the position?
Newsome acknowledged Thursday night that the Ravens took calls from teams wanting to move up to the 16th spot, but the proposed returns weren’t appealing enough for him to make a deal. Humphrey was certainly a consensus first-round pick, but it may not have been out of the question to still land him later in the round while picking up an extra pick or two to use in a deep draft.
When the Ravens had better overall rosters five or six years ago, the addition of Humphrey would have been praised as a luxury pick with huge upside. But a team needing immediate help at multiple positions may not feel a great impact from him in his rookie season, putting even more pressure on Newsome to nail his three Day 2 picks.
Humphrey may prove to be a terrific cornerback, but the Ravens drafted for depth and upside instead of filling a more pressing need. It’s an interesting choice for a franchise at a crossroads after missing the playoffs in three of the last four years.
Time will tell whether it works out.