We've covered that Mike Mayock is the top guy in the NFL at everything Draft related. He does one mock draft a year once he has all the information on not just the players but what the teams are likely to do. See Mayock's mock draft isn't just what should happen, but is based on what rumblings that he's hearing.
In 2014, Mayock's mock draft had the Ravens selecting an inside linebacker by the name of C.J. Mosley from Alabama. He called him the best inside linebacker of the draft and little did we know at the time that Baltimore would indeed have Mosley land in their laps and would select him. If you needed any more proof of Mayock's ability, the "best inside linebacker of the draft" then went on to come in second on the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award for the Ravens. Not too shabby if you ask me.
It is no surprise that the Ravens have needed depth in their secondary. With last year's end to the NFL Playoffs as reasoning enough, the Ravens desperately needed to add another defender to a secondary that was easily the most dinged up.
Even though the Ravens were able to sign cornerback Jimmy Smith to an extension earlier this offseason and have cornerback Lardarius Webb locked up for a few more seasons, injuries to either player would immediately cause the secondary issues. Not to mention that while Smith's deal will last a while, Webb could still be cut in the following years to make room in the salary cap. At this time, the Ravens get the opportunity to let Peters sit behind two Pro Bowl caliber corners and learn before getting pushed into the spotlight in a few years.
Peters does come with some baggage though as we've heard throughout the draft process. Having been kicked off the Washington team last fall for a run-in with coaches, the Ravens clearly had to do their homework on Peters before making him their first round pick. However, the Ravens have never been ones to shy away from a player due to some immaturity issues and were rewarded for their due diligence with Jimmy Smith signing for what appeared to be a bit of a discount. As you'll likely remember, Smith had some red flags surrounding him in the 2011 NFL Draft.
At 6-foot tall and 198-pounds, Peters might just be the most talented corner in this year's draft, much in the same way that Smith was in 2011. A big, physical corner should make turn him into a successful press corner right away. With time and some mentoring from Ravens coaches and Smith, Peters should be able to improve his footwork and football knowledge to become a complete cornerback for the Ravens.
Here is where you can see Mayock's complete mock draft. Check it out and let us know where he went wrong.