Ravens Need to Add A Safety in This Year's Draft
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The safety position is a significant area of need for the Ravens heading into this year's draft.
Baltimore does not have much depth on the current roster.
Chuck Clark is the starting strong safety with Anthony Levine Sr., Nigel Warrior and Geno Stone behind him on the depth chart.
DeShon Elliott will start at free safety with just Jordan Richards as the backup.
There was a tepid market for free-agent safeties this year.
As a result, the Ravens will have to look to the draft to add a playmaker.
Would GM Eric DeCosta use the 27th overall pick or a second-round selection to take a safety?
It's certainly not out of the question if the right player falls to the Ravens. However, there is value at the safety position in the later rounds.
Here's a look at some prospects:
Richie Grant, UCF,
- Grant is one of the few safeties that has been linked to Baltimore in the first round. This move could make more sense because the Ravens would love to add another ball hawk like Grant. Last season, he finished with 72 tackles, a sack, and three interceptions in only nine games, and was rated as the 19th best safety by PFF. Grant also was a unanimous first-team All-AAC selection and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe award.
Trevon Moehrig, TCU
- Moehrig is another ball hawk that would fit perfectly into the Ravens scheme. Last season, Moehrig finished 47 tackles, two interceptions, nine passes defended over 10 games. In the prior season, he had four interceptions and 11 passes defended. Moehrig is a two-time All-Big 12 First-Team selection and has the ability to make an impact as a rookie. He does a good job of reading the quarterback's eyes and makes a good beat on the ball, especially screens, and passes out in the flat. Moehrig is also a versatile defender that can stop the run and blitz the quarterback with Don Martindale calling the plays in Baltimore. He might be gone by the 27th pick.
Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State
- Nasirildeen only appeared in two 2020 games, and he recorded 13 tackles, 1.5 for a loss, a pass defended, and an interception. Nasirildeen suffered a torn ACL on November 30, 2019, that he was believed to have re-aggravated last year. In his four years as a Seminole, Nasirildeen had 233 tackles, 4 for a loss, one sack, four picks, and nine passes defended, along with three forced fumbles. He was second-team All-ACC in 2019 and was the first Seminole defensive player to record 100 tackles since 2014. Nasirildeen is projected to be a middle-round pick.
Jevon Holland, Oregon
- Holland is a true ball hawk who can make plays with the ball in his hand after the interception and is one of the stronger defensive backs to come through Eugene. Holland made an impact the moment he stepped on campus in 2018, playing in 13 games as a true freshman and snatching 5 interceptions. He finished his career with nine total interceptions and was a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist in 2019. Holland is a first-round talent that will likely go in round two.
Andre Cisco, Syracuse
- Cisco had 13 interceptions in just 24 career games and also registered 14 pass deflections. The one thing that's holding him back from being an early-round pick is consistency with tackling in the open field. For him to thrive in the NFL, he has to become more reliable when it comes to making those plays. Cisco is projected to be a middle-round pick.
