Looking to add depth at the safety position, the Ravens selected South Carolina State safety Christian Thompson with their fourth-round compensatory pick at No. 130 overall.
After backup safeties Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura departed in free agency, the Ravens found themselves in a tenuous situation at the position with starters Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard entering the final year of their respective contracts. Baltimore signed veteran Sean Considine to a one-year contract, but Thompson provides a long-term option to develop as well as an immediate special-teams contributor.
Thompson began his career at Auburn but elected to transfer to South Carolina State after receiving limited action while adjusting to playing in the secondary. He was a linebacker in high school.
“He is a hard hitter,” coach John Harbaugh said. “As [secondary coach] Teryl Austin says, he is a thick hitter. He really gets after people physically. He ended up at South Carolina State for various reasons. I think he has learned from whatever mistakes he has made.”
Thompson has ideal size for the safety position at 6-foot-0 and 211 pounds and can play either safety spot.
Ravens grab S.C. State safety Christian Thompson with 4th-round compensatory pick
Luke Jones
Luke Jones is the Ravens and Orioles beat reporter for WNST BaltimorePositive.com and is a PFWA member. His mind is consumed with useless sports knowledge, pro wrestling promos, and movie quotes, but he often forgets where he put his phone. Luke's favorite sports memories include being one of the thousands of kids who waited for Cal Ripken's autograph after Orioles games in the summer of 1995, attending the Super Bowl XXXV victory parade with his dad in the pouring rain, and watching the Terps advance to the Final Four at the Carrier Dome in 2002. Follow him on social media @BaltimoreLuke or email him at Luke@wnst.net.
8
Paid Advertisement
Podcast Audio Vault
88Paid Advertisement
Share the Post:
8Paid Advertisement
Right Now in Baltimore
Podcasts, Pearl Jam passion and the present tense with The Mayne Event
They met on the backstretch at Pimlico three decades ago and The Mayne Event always returns and never disappoints for sports, comedy, charity and why Eddie Vedder shouldn't trust Nestor. Longtime ESPNer Kenny Mayne checks in for another round of tales of wiffle ball with Ken Griffey, podcasts with the other Manning and still being pissed off about the Sonics (and Pilots) departure from Seattle.
Running back Tampa 25 years later with Ravens RB coach Matt Simon
These milestones continue to add up as the 25th anniversary of the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl XXXV win is coming later this month and Nestor is catching up with many of the Purple Reign legacies about life – on and off the field – as we celebrate the night we all felt the civic pride of that first miracle in Tampa. Reflections here with the man who coached Jamal Lewis, Priest Holmes, Sam Gash and Femi Ayanbadejo a quarter of a century ago.
The Ravens weren't good enough on the field
Firing the head coach and changing leadership will certainly create an interesting offseason in Owings Mills. No one covers the Xs and Os of the NFL like Mike Tanier of Too Deep Zone. The one-time geometry teacher of Joe Flacco joins Nestor to discuss the depth and salary cap numbers of the Baltimore Ravens roster and the structural changes Eric DeCosta will need even after Steve Bisciotti finds a new captain to lead Lamar Jackson.
888Paid Advertisement
