The Ravens have gone to work on their secondary this offseason.
The additions of safety Tony Jefferson and cornerback Brandon Carr should go a long way in helping upgrade the unit next season, and the Ravens likely aren't done adding players to help their pass defense.
Head Coach John Harbaugh has said since the season ended that he wants to add *cornerbacks. *Not just one.
The draft is the most likely avenue for the Ravens to find another corner, and Baltimore might not even have to use the No. 16 pick on a corner to find an immediate starter at the position. Baltimore could address needs like receiver or pass rusher with the No. 16 pick, and then look to the second day to address cornerback.
"This is a great corner class," NFL Network's draft analyst Mike Mayock said. "If you don't get one in the first round, you can come back in the second or third round and really help yourself."
Mayock said he has far more cornerbacks than usual graded as worthy of taking in the first three rounds.
Baltimore hasn't selected a cornerback in the first three rounds since 2011 (Jimmy Smith), but that trend is likely to change this year.
Here are some of the players Mayock named as potential options in the second or third round:
Adoree' Jackson (5-foot-11, 185 pounds), USC
Tre'Davious White (5-11, 191), LSU
Gareon Conley (6-0, 195), Ohio State
Quincy Wilson (6-1, 213), Florida
Teez Tabor (6-0, 191), Florida
Ahkello Witherspoon (6-3, 195), Colorado
Cordrea Tankersley (6-1, 195), Clemson
Cameron Sutton (5-11, 182), Tennessee
Howard Wilson (6-1, 186), Houston
In addition to being a talented class, a trend with this year's group is that it's full of tall, long cornerbacks. The Ravens already have a corner in that mold in Jimmy Smith, and the league has moved in that direction after all the success the Seattle Seahawks have seen with their big cornerbacks.
Conley, Wilson, Witherspoon and Tankersley are all big cornerbacks who can play press coverage, and the Ravens will have plenty of options at their disposal if they decide to go that route in the draft.
"People are looking for long corners, and I think there are more 6-foot guys than I have ever seen," Mayock said.
