Gary Lambrecht, The Examiner
2008-02-21 08:00:00.0
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BALTIMORE -

With the NFL draft looming in two months and the league’s scouting combine this weekend, the Ravens are immersed in evaluating talent and addressing needs.

The most pressing area of concern clearly is at cornerback, where age, injuries and a glaring lack of depth have sounded the alarms. On top of that, the Ravens should try to add a quarterback with a chance to become the face of the franchise.

The draft could yield all of the fruit the Ravens are seeking, and they don’t need to trade up from their No. 8 slot to make it happen. If they decide to vacate their draft position, it should be to trade down and beef up by tending to more needs on the offensive and defensive lines and at inside linebacker.

The draft looks quite deep at cornerback, which, along with left tackle and pass rusher, is one of the most coveted positions behind — of course — quarterback.

There is a good chance five cornerbacks, including South Florida’s Mike Jenkins, Troy’s Leodid McKelvin and Aqib Talib of Kansas, will be selected in the first round. Five cornerbacks could be taken in the second round.

The Ravens have been rumored to be interested in trading up to grab Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, who will be the first passer taken. The 6-foot-5 Ryan sure looks like he’ll have a great career, but mortgaging a huge chunk of the future on him would be unnecessarily risky.

Instead, the Ravens would be better suited to take a chance on Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm lower in the draft. He might fall to the second round after throwing 30 touchdown passes and showing fine accuracy in a pro-style offense for the Cardinals, who went 6-6 last season.

Besides Brohm, some intriguing quarterback possibilities also include Michigan’s Chad Henne, Kentucky’s Andre Woodson and San Diego’s Joshua Johnson, who has great mechanics and mobility. The steal of the draft might end up being 6-foot-6 Delaware passer Joe Flacco, who has outstanding arm strength, led the Blue Hens to two appearances in the Division I-AA title game and showed big-time competitiveness at the Senior Bowl.

Should the Ravens nab one of these guys in the second or a middle round, it also could lead to the exit of Kyle Boller, who is signed for next year but no longer enjoys the security blanket of protection of former head coach Brian Billick.

Since the Ravens seem committed to rolling the dice for one more year with Steve McNair as their starter, the thought of Troy Smith, who has much more upside than Boller, the biggest first-round bust in team history, being the backup makes good sense. Especially if the Ravens draft another passer.

Whether the Ravens sit tight and pick at No. 8 or find a trading partner in order to slide down, they seem destined to get a first-round cornerback that could offer immediate help. Moving down could help them hit the jackpot by potentially grabbing two cornerbacks and a quarterback in the first three rounds.

What is clear is the Ravens can’t be comfortable at all with what they’ve got on the corner.

Chris McAlister is entering his 10th season and is coming off knee surgery. Veteran Samari Rolle is declining, suffers from epilepsy and could be at the end of his career.

And backups Corey Ivy, Derrick Martin and David Pittman, all of whom were pressed into service when McAlister and Rolle went down for long stretches, did enough to prove they can’t play at this level. One of them might stick around as a nickel or dime back.

The Ravens have some very important fixing to do, and the next two months should allow them to get an excellent start on the repairs.

Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports. He can be reached at glambrecht@baltimoreexaminer.com.