Jeff Zrebiec thinks so…
The consensus is that the Ravens’ top three priorities in the draft are edge rusher, wide receiver and interior offensive lineman, but should safety also be in the mix?
Even though the Ravens return safeties Chuck Clark and DeShon Elliott, who both started every game last season, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec doesn’t think the need for another safety should be overlooked.
“Depending on whom you ask, the addition of a safety is either a luxury or a necessity for the Ravens. Count me as someone who believes it’s a lot closer to a necessity,” Zrebiec wrote. ” … The Ravens need a quality third safety behind them. I just don’t know if that guy is on the roster at this point. They also could use a legitimate playmaker at the position.
“Clark and Elliott combined for just eight pass breakups and one interception last season. A rangy safety who is strong in coverage and has good ball skills would bring a dimension that the Ravens just don’t have and give Defensive Coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale more flexibility with matchups.”
The Baltimore Sun’s Childs Walker acknowledged that a playmaking safety would be a welcome addition, but he doesn’t think it’s a high priority.
“The prospect of a big-play threat on the back end will always hold allure for the franchise that featured Ed Reed, but we’re talking more luxury than must-have,” Walker wrote. ” … Would the Ravens like more than one combined interception from a pair of safeties who hardly left the field? Sure, but their lack of turnover production is mitigated by the interceptions and forced fumbles accumulated by cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters.”
Walker added: “The Ravens would be fine if they come out with a developmental safety prospect on Day Three.”
As Clifton Brown noted, the Ravens could find an intriguing safety early in the draft if they choose to go that route. Some mock drafts have TCU’s Trevon Moehrig going to the Ravens with the 27th-overall pick.
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