Daniel Jeremiah Mocks Azareye'h Thomas to Ravens in Round 1
Mock draft season has begun, and the first mock from NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah has the Ravens taking Florida State cornerback Azareye'h Thomas.
"The Ravens double dip on drafting big, long corners after selecting Nate Wiggins last year," Jeremiah wrote. "Thomas is a smooth, fluid athlete."
At 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds, the addition of Thomas – a specialist as an outside press-coverage corner – could bolster the Ravens' secondary. Thomas, paired with Wiggins, would allow Marlon Humphrey to play both outside and in the slot.
There's a possibility of the Ravens needing a cornerback come April, as General Manager Eric DeCosta noted cornerback Brandon Stephens is "probably going to test the market."
Ravens Land Wiggins in 2024 Re-Draft
On the topic of first-round cornerbacks, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport conducted a redraft of the 2024 NFL Draft, and with the No. 30 pick the Ravens reselected Wiggins.
"There's an argument for a couple of players in this spot—including a different cornerback. But sometimes the wisest course of action is to just leave well enough alone—and that's the case here with cornerback Nate Wiggins," Davenport wrote. "Wiggins was solid for the Ravens as a rookie—in 15 games (including six starts), Wiggins allowed just half the passes thrown in his direction to be completed, with a passer rating against of just 66.7."
Davenport noted the confidence DeCosta spoke with regarding Wiggins' first year and couldn't sum it up better himself.
"The Ravens don't appear to have any second thoughts about drafting Wiggins," Davenport wrote. "So, there's no reason we should, either."
Humphrey Loses 80% of Game Check to Fine
Earlier this weekend, fines were released from last week's Divisional round playoff games and among them was Humphrey, who was fined $45,020 for an unnecessary roughness penalty (that was not flagged during the game) for helmet-to-helmet contact on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
CBS Sports’ John Breech shared how significant a fine it was.
"However, during the playoffs, everyone on the roster makes the exact same amount in their game check, and for the divisional round, each Ravens player made $54,500," Breech wrote. "With the NFL collecting $45,020 of that total, that means that Humphrey will be handing over 82.6% of his paycheck."
Breech also cited that it was by far the largest fine in the Divisional round.
"The only player who was even fined more than $20,000 was Detroit's Jameson Williams, who got docked $25,325 for making an obscene gesture after a touchdown he scored in the Lions' 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders," Breech wrote.
