Play like a Raven: Andrew Booth Jr.

5 years ago, the Baltimore Ravens sat in the middle of the 1st Round of the 2017 NFL Draft, picking at number 16. It was the second year in a row that the Ravens had picked in the first half of the first round, before that, it had been ten years since their last pick that high.

I know most considered Tight End as a pressing need and a supposedly, generationally talented Tight End, in OJ Howard sat on the board. I was high on Howard too so I can’t avoid all the ridicule here but I had another surely-Ozzie-will-pick-one Alabama player rated higher.

I do love a Defensive Tackle, I have a pretty good track record at the position, picking out both rough diamonds and highly-drafted players who live up to their expectation. That year I was very high on Jonathan Allen and was hoping he would be the Ravens typical BPA-type pick.

I thought Ozzie would surprise and go with talent over need. And I was right. I also just had the wrong Alabama prospect.

Marlon Humphrey turned into a big miss for me. It wasn’t that I didn’t think highly of him, I just didn’t think highly enough. The Ravens clearly thought they had secured a top ten talent at number 16. And they were proved right.

Humphrey is now my favorite pro player to evaluate. But he’s also served as a cautionary tale to not underrate the qualities he showed from the Cornerback position at Alabama. At the very core of what makes a good Cornerback, is being able to mirror a Wide Receiver in a confined area and make it difficult for the Quarterback to target him. This is what must be evaluated first and foremost.

I saw this with Humphrey, but what I missed was what elevated him to a different level of Corner. He processed at an extremely high-level and demonstrated toughness and physicality usually reserved for other positions.

It was with this new blueprint for finding the very best at the position that I vowed never to be caught out by a potential Marlon Humphrey-type CB in the Draft.

They don’t always exist in draft classes. The most high-end cover corners normally process at a high level but many of them don’t rise to the level of toughness that Marlon Humphrey displayed at Alabama and continues to display in the NFL.

But this year, I believe there is one. Andrew Booth Jr. inserts himself where he is decidedly unwanted by the Offense when defending the run. He plays with a high level of football intelligence and toughness, while still displaying the requisite foot speed, hip fluidity and lateral quickness to cover Wide Receivers in all areas of the field and signal a potential shutdown CB at the next level.

So for the second time this Draft season, I have found a Red Star. And this time he’s someone I would consider at 14 if I were the Ravens. Here’s hoping for a mediocre Quarterback run, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Christian Ponder - Blaine Gabbert - Jake Locker days, to push Booth Jr. down to the Ravens so that they can run the card up. Like they did for Marlon Humphrey.

Here’s my detailed report on him that will be included in my full Baltimore Ravens-focused Draft Report to be released later in the off-season and closer to Draft day…