The Ravens did not take a cornerback on Day 1 or 2 of the draft, and it's a position they were widely expected to target.
With three picks remaining Saturday, the Ravens will closely monitor the cornerbacks still on the board. They have picks in the fourth (124), fifth (157) and sixth rounds (199) and might be willing to trade up at some point to target a player they like.
Cornerback remains Baltimore's greatest position of need, with Marcus Peters a free agent and no clear starter opposite Marlon Humphrey. General Manager Eric DeCosta sees cornerbacks who could be targeted Day 3.
"There's always an element of luck involved and teams taking other players, but as you look up there in this coming round, we see some guys that we would still take in the fourth round for sure," DeCosta said.
"That's an important position. As you guys all know, you've seen us, we realize the value of that position. We're going to continue to address that via the draft, via other means. There are a lot of opportunities out there for us to get better at that position. The draft is certainly part of that. We have a board where we see players that we would take in the fourth, five, and sixth round, definitely."
Heading into Saturday's Round 4, NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah's top five available cornerbacks are Kelee Ringo of Georgia, Clark Phillips III of Utah, Darius Rush of South Carolina, Terrell Smith of Minnesota and Jakorian Bennett of Maryland.
Ringo has been linked to the Ravens in mock drafts, and his fall into Day 3 has been viewed as a surprise. He's also a player that new Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken is very familiar with from their days together at Georgia. Bennett, who blew up the Combine similar to former Terps teammate Deonte Banks, has been a player often mocked to Baltimore in the fourth round.
DeCosta said the Ravens considered trading up on Day 2, although he did not specify which position or player they were targeting. However, as the board continued to unfold, the Ravens decided to stay put. They did not have a pick in Round 2, then drafted versatile Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson in Round 3 at No. 86. Iowa cornerback Riley Moss went to the Denver Broncos three picks before Baltimore was on the clock.
After the draft, the Ravens will target undrafted cornerbacks to sign and consider acquiring a veteran cornerback via free agency or trade. Peters is still available, as is Rock Ya-Sin, who reportedly visited Baltimore before the draft, among others.
Regardless of which position they draft Saturday, DeCosta knows the Ravens still have time to address cornerback before the season begins in September. The Ravens have a cluster of young cornerbacks they are developing that includes Brandon Stephens, Jalyn Armour-Davis and Pepe Williams.
