More than a few of the Mock Drafts seen around have the Baltimore Ravens grabbing a cornerback to bolster their secondary. One of the better ones in the 2011 NFL Draft that might still be available by the time the Ravens pick at number 26 is Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith.
Smith has the rare combination of size and speed that has a lot of NFL Scouts drooling over a defensive back with the size to match up with the bigger wideouts that are becoming the norm in the NFL nowadays. At 6'2" and 205 pounds, Smith is not about to get pushed around by these bigger pros like some of the smaller corners have been. Most Ravens fans remember Atlanta Falcons WR Roddy White pushing down Ravens corner Josh Wilson just before catching the game winning TD pass late in the Ravens loss in 2010. With a corner the size of Smith in there, the odds of this repeating are greatly reduced.
Most taller college cornerbacks are either transformed into safeties at the next level in the NFL, or they cannot keep up with the speed of the league's receivers. Smith has above-average speed to go along with his bigger-than-typical size. Some NFL Scouts say he reminds them of the Oakland Raiders' Nnamdi Asomugha, but those would be pretty big shoes to fill for Smith if he comes into the league with those lofty expectations.
Ravens fans would be more than satisfied if he comes anywhere close to former Ravens cornerback Chris McAlister. C-Mac was 6'1" and 205 pounds when he played for the Ravens, and was considered one of the league's shutdown corners when the Ravens were Super Bowl Champs ten years ago and through most of his career before ending his tenure here in Baltimore amid controversies related to injuries and behavior issues.
Despite having needs at a bunch of other positions, if Colorado's Jimmy Smith is still on the board when the Ravens pick in the first round comes up in a little more than eight weeks, he would fill a huge need and most fans would not complain if his name was announced right after the words, "the Baltimore Ravens select..."
See more on Colorado CB Jimmy Smith at the National Football Post.