With the fifty-eighth and final pick in the 2011 BGN Mock Draft, NowWhat? selects our very own Mr. Irrelevant...
Curtis Brown - CB, Texas
Round 1 saw the Baltimore Ravens address a potential WR hole with the selection of WR/KR Torrey Smith of Maryland. With their second pick, the Ravens address one, maybe even two of their potential needs with the selection of CB Curtis Brown from the University of Texas.
With all fairness, there are certainly better teams than the Ravens with worse pass defenses (I'm looking at you, New England), but they are definitely in need of a tuneup, especially in a division where you have to face Ben Roethlisberger twice a year (three times if you meet in the playoffs like the Ravens and Steelers did last year). To make things clearer, the Ravens were 22nd in the league in completion percentage and 21st in YPG on pass defense last year, while having the 3rd most pass attempts thrown against them, only behind Tennessee and New England. They gave up over 300 passing yards in a game 5 times to quarterbacks like Matt Schaub and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Ed Reed is 33 years old and can't be the heart of the secondary forever. Who knows how Domonique Foxworth will be coming off of an ACL injury? The future of the Ravens secondary is a giant question mark.
More after the jump...
Enter Curtis Brown. A second team All-Big 12 Cornerback (The first team included some guys named named Prince and Jimmy...), Brown has the makings of a solid starter and a leader in the secondary. Among his pros are his soft hands and excellent ball skills, as well as his ability to excel in either man or zone coverage. In addition, the Big 12 has given him plenty of experience with top competition. On top of all of this, he is also an excellent contributor in special teams play. While he did field some punts at Texas, I wouldn't expect him to be the primary returner in Baltimore. However, he excelled in special teams coverage, often leading the teams in tackles, and would be a welcome addition to the Ravens ST unit.
Naturally, Brown is not a perfect prospect, hence why he is still here late into the second round. His stock took a hit when he ran a rather pedestrian 4.51 in the 40 at the combine. Some scouts are worried about his rather thin lower body and slight frame, and while he is physical and aggressive, he is not a powerful hitter and has some trouble disengaging. I wouldn't expect him to walk into a starting job, but it won't be too long before he sees a significant amount of playing time. Draftcountdown.com's report on Brown sums it up best: "He's not flashy, but he possesses the physical tools, intangibles and well-rounded game to compete for a starting job at the next level," which is all Baltimore needs at this point.
Check out our mock draft "Recap and Results" article coming out tomorrow morning!
Previous Picks: 1 - Nick Fairley 2 - Patrick Peterson 3 - Blaine Gabbert 4 - Cam Newton 5 - Von Miller 6 - Marcell Dareus 7 - Prince Amukamara 8 - A.J. Green 9 - Da'Quan Bowers 10 - Corey Liuget 11 - Robert Quinn 12 - Julio Jones 13 - Tyron Smith 14 - Jimmy Smith 15 - Mark Ingram 16 - Cameron Jordan 17 - Ryan Kerrigan 18 - Anthony Castonzo 19 - Mike Pouncey 20 - Adrian Clayborn 21 - Phil Taylor 22- Stephen Paea 23 - Brandon Harris 24 - Aldon Smith 25 - Gabe Carimi 26 - Torrey Smith 27 - Justin Houston 28- J.J. Watt 29 - Nate Solder 30 - Akeem Ayers 31- Derek Sherrod 32 - Cameron Heyward 33- Muhammad Wilkerson 34 - Allen Bailey 35 - Jabaal Sheard 36 - Marvin Austin 37 - Jonathan Baldwin 38 - Jake Locker 39 - Colin Kaepernick 40 - James Carpenter 41 - Christian Ponder 42 - Aaron Williams 43 - Ryan Mallett 44 - Rahim Moore 45 - Leonard Hankerson 46 - Kyle Rudolph 47 - Mikel Leshoure 48 - Stefen Wisniewski 49 - Andy Dalton 50 - Brooks Reed 51 - Ras-I Dowling 52 - Mason Foster 53 - James Brewer 54- Clint Boling 55 - Benjamin Ijalana 56 - Ryan Williams 57 - Titus Young