How Ravens Could Change Draft Strategy With Fewer Picks

Debate has raged all offseason on whether the Ravens should take a wide receiver or cornerback at No. 22 overall. Few have strayed to suggest another position, but The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer offers a compelling case to consider Alabama safety Brian Branch, beginning with the Ravens need at nickelback.

“In an age where three-wide-receiver formations dominate, the modern NFL base defense now features five defensive backs,” Shaffer wrote. “The Ravens lined up in nickel personnel on 60% of their snaps last season, according to TruMedia, and dime personnel (six defensive backs) on 16.6% of their snaps. After trading for inside linebacker Roquan Smith before Week 9, the Ravens leaned even more on their nickel looks, deploying five defensive backs 70.8% of the time.”

Along with the need, Shaffer notes how Branch would fit perfectly in the Ravens’ system.

“Over each of Branch’s three years at Alabama, he played at least 65.9% of his defensive snaps in the slot. Last season, he lined up there on 74.1% of his snaps and in the box on another 17.7%,” Shaffer wrote. “That put Branch in the middle of everything for the Crimson Tide’s defense, which finished No. 5 nationally in ESPN’s efficiency rankings.”

Shaffer also gives Branch high praise as a player, too.

“Branch’s game is polished, physical, instinctive. He did everything well last season,” Shaffer wrote. “… He filled gaps at the line of scrimmage as a run defender. He blitzed from the slot and from 10 yards off the ball. He covered tight ends in man-to-man looks and wide receivers split out wide as a zone defender. At 6 feet, 190 pounds, Branch didn’t look much like the 6-foot-4, 221-pound Hamilton. But he certainly played like him.”

ESPN’s Matt Bowen is another pundit commending Branch’s play, saying he boasts the best coverage instincts in this year’s class.

“A multidimensional defensive back with coverage skills and safety range, Branch has the…