Ravens Rookie Cornerbacks Showing Progress

Ravens have depth in the secondary.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — There was initial concern about the Ravens' depth at cornerback behind Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters.

Baltimore added veteran Kyle Fuller and also selected a pair of cornerbacks in the fourth round of the NFL draft — Jalyn Armour-Davis and Damarion “Pepe” Williams.

Harbaugh likes the way the rookies are progressing and expects them to be part of the rotation this season. 

"I think they’re doing a great job," Harbaugh said. "Those guys [are] very, very knowledgeable. They have a great feel for the game: leverage; spacing; their eyes are in the right spot most of the time; they’re smart; they learn; they have good feet, and they have good ball skills. I think those guys are doing a really good job. They’ll play this year. They’ll play well.”

Armour-Davis, 6-foot-1, 197 pounds, is a long and athletic corner. He runs a 4.39 40 and is solid against the run. Armour-Davis can also play special teams.

Armour-Davis made his way into the starting lineup as a cornerback last season. He finished tied for the team lead in interceptions with three while landing second-team All-SEC honors from the league coaches. 

Armour-Davis also had 32 tackles, including one for loss, four pass breakups and a quarterback hurry across 11 starts. However, he was sidelined with a hip injury.

He has drawn comparisons to former Ravens cornerback Anthony Averett.

"I’ve gotten a couple comparisons, not just in the way he played, but just a lot of people that were with him at the University of Alabama that were able to be there with me," Armour-Davis said. "I even drew comparisons with the type of person we are. Some people even said that we looked alike and, of course, that we played alike. So, it’s pretty ironic that this kind of went the same way that his did. He’s someone that I look up to. 

"I’ve watched his game for some time, I think he’s a great player. So, hopefully, I can be as good and get better in the future.”

Williams adds more depth in the secondary and gives the Ravens more flexibility with their defensive schemes. 

He appeared in 13 games for Houston and was tied for second on the team with 63 tackles. He also finished second on the team in pass breakups with eight.

"Damarion, I think is a feisty player; I think he’s a smart player, scheme-versatile, as well," GM Eric DeCosta said. "A few weeks ago, Coach [Harbaugh] was working through the board, looking at corners and came in and said, ‘You know what? I was really nervous about the position, but now having seen these guys, I feel like there’s enough guys that we can take a few of these guys and really improve our depth.’ We may not be done, but we do see that now we have guys that can go out there and practice right away. 

"We know we’re going to get Marcus back; we know we’re going to get Marlon back; but these guys provide a nice buffer for us in the short term.”