The Ravens have their eye on a handful of top-tier defensive prospects they could take with the No. 6 overall pick. Baltimore is on the lookout for additional pass rushers and cornerbacks, and the first round is an ideal place to land a difference maker at either of those positions.
If the Ravens decide to go after a cornerback at that spot, Florida's Vernon Hargreaves is the most likely target. Hargreaves is considered by most analysts as the draft's second-best corner behind Jalen Ramsey, and he's likely to be on the board when the Ravens come on the clock.
So what do the Ravens think of Hargreaves?
"Athletic kid, he understands fundamentals of the position, he's got instincts," Ravens Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz said.
Hargreaves has been in the spotlight since his high school days, where he was one of the country's most heralded recruits. He jumped on the scene at Florida and earned first-team All SEC honors as a freshmen.
He lived up to his billing as a blue-chip recruit and earned first-team All American honors the last two seasons. Hargreaves also has a knack for finding the football, as he racked up 10 interceptions and 27 passes defensed in his three-year college career.
Hargreaves is a natural ball hawk, which is exactly what the Ravens want in their secondary after a season where the defense notched a franchise-low six interceptions.
"He's got really good ball skills," Hortiz said. "He can play the ball in contested situations."
The biggest knock on the Hargreaves is his size. The 5-foot-10, 204-pound cornerback does not have the prototypical size for what NFL teams want on the edge, but the Ravens don't think that will be a problem.
"No, size is not a concern," Hortiz said. "Yes, he's a little undersized – everyone wants a 6-foot, 6-1 corner – but, he's certainly fast enough and his instincts and ball skills make up for his lack of size."
Hortiz also pointed out that football is in Hargreaves' DNA. His father is a college football coach at Arkansas, and he used to work at the University of Miami. Hargreaves often tagged along with his dad, and the Ravens see that football knowledge in how he plays.
"The kid has grown up around ball, he's been on the field down at the U [University of Miami] since he was a toddler, probably doing backpedaling transitions," Hortiz said. "He's very schooled, and you can see it in his play."
