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Ravens Target Named 'Best-Kept Secret' in NFL Draft
The Baltimore Ravens could find themselves with a sleeper in the NFL Draft.
Cornerback is one of the positions the Baltimore Ravens are looking at very closely going into the 2024 NFL Draft, which begins with the first round on Thursday.
While Washington State cornerback Chau Smith-Wade probably won't hear his name called on Thursday, he could end up being one of the better players in this year's draft class.
Bleacher Report named him one of the eight "best-kept secrets" in the draft and listed the Ravens as a potential landing spot for him. But instead of playing on the outside like he did in college, Smith-Wade projects as a slot cornerback.
"Smith-Wade played almost exclusively on the outside at Washington State," Bleacher Report writes. He was skilled enough there to contain opposing passers to a passer rating of 68.2 in his first year as a full-time starter for the Cougars. At 5'10", 184 pounds with 30¼" arms Smith-Wade doesn't have the size and length to play on the outside in the league. ... It's true that outside corners are the ones who get paid the big bucks. It's also true that a team's best nickel corner is going to play way more than the fourth or fifth outside corner on the depth chart."
Smith-Wade was limited to just seven games this past season for the Cougars due to injury, but he was on pace to have his best season yet. Smith-Wade recorded 25 tackles in seven games after having 33 tackles in 13 games the previous year.
Given how speedy slot receivers have become in recent years, having a sound slot cornerback is necessary for the success of the team, even if they don't get as much attention or money as their outside corner counterparts. This means that if the Ravens take Smith-Wade, who likely projects as a Day 3 pick, they could be getting a diamond in the rough.
