On paper, the Baltimore Ravens enter the 2025 season with talent and depth at the cornerback position. Look beyond the horizon, though, and the outlook isn’t as clear.
So it shouldn’t come as much surprise that in an early, pre-college football mock draft, ESPN’s Field Yates has the Ravens drafting Penn State cornerback A.J. Harris with the No. 28 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Mock Draft Has Ravens Addressing Cornerback Early
Yates pointed to the contract situations for a few of the Ravens’ current high-profile corners as a reason for general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh to get out in front of the potential issue by drafting the talented Harris.
“Jaire Alexander and Chidobe Awuzie are both free agents in March, and Marlon Humphrey is signed through 2026,” Yates wrote for ESPN.com. “Corner is likely a 2026 offseason focus in Baltimore. Harris is entering his second season with Penn State after beginning his career at Georgia, and he plays with an infectious energy, opportunistic ball skills and a willingness to enter the fray as a run defender. Opposing quarterbacks did not test him much in 2024, but he still came away with a pick and five pass breakups.”
Certainly, with a full season of college football, rankings and projections can and almost certainly will change. That said, Pro Football Focus has already made Harris its No. 1 cornerback in the 2026 NFL Draft, according to rankings it released over the summer. If that is the case, and the draft plays out anything like Yates anticipates, Harris will be a steal, as Yates had four cornerbacks being drafted before Harris, including the two preceding picks at Nos. 26 and 27.
Expectations are high entering 2025, too. York Daily Record’s Penn State beat writer, Frank Bodani, wondered in an offseason column whether Harris could go down as the best ever at the position in the program’s illustrious history, a sentiment echoed by cornerbacks coach Terry Smith.
“I expect him to be one of the best (who) ever played here,” he told Bodani. “He understands the game, he studies the game. HE’s got all the physical attributes, he can cover, he can tackle. … I just think his IQ separates him. He just sees things in a different way than most guys.”
Why Ravens Need to Address CB Position
ESPN.com’s Mike Clay recently ranked all of the position groups in the NFL entering the 2025 season. He had the Ravens’ cornerback room ranked No. 1. Right now, it’s a talented group, led by Humphrey, a two-time All-Pro selection. If everyone stays healthy and contributes to the level expected, it will be an elite unit.
Neither health nor potential are guaranteed, though, in the short term. Alexander, signed in June, has struggled to get healthy while dealing with a nagging knee injury after injuries derailed the promising start to his career in Green Bay. Awuzie, another signing, has an undeniable injury of his own, too.
More importantly, at least as it pertains to 2026 and beyond, is the contract situation Yates laid out. Alexander and Awuzie are only signed through this season. Humphrey’s $97.5 million extension runs through 2026, but he turns 30 next year.
At some point, it’s going to be time to move on, and the development of Nate Wiggins might make it easier to justify using a first-round pick on a player like Harris to rebuild that position on the fly for 2026 and beyond.
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