No. 38

Pick by Baltimore Beatdown Brandon Flowers Cornerback Virginia Tech

Choosing #38 overall, the Baltimore Ravens (who selected QB Matt Ryan in round one) have selected Virginia Tech cornerback Brandon Flowers.  Rexx, head blogger at Baltimore Beatdown, made the selection and is here to explain why Flowers is the Ravens' pick in round two:

  Flowers would arguably have been the #1 CB inthe draft, if the scouts based their ratings on what they saw on the field. Brandon ran a 4.4 40 yard dash, and hits like a linebacker. He has great feet and reacts instinctively, leading to 10 career interceptions. The only knock against him that has led him to fall to this point in the draft is his lack of height. At around 5'10", Flowers is considered short by top cornerback standards, with the other CB's that were drafted ahead of him in the 5'11" or taller group. However, based on what he has done in a very competitive conference (ACC), against many good passers, including Boston College's Matt Ryan, he should fit in nicely with the Ravens secondary. At the beginning, he should emerge as the top nickel back, behind both Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle. However, don't be surprised if he takes over Rolle's starting spot long before the 2008 season is over.

The selections of Matt Ryan and Brandon Flowers fill two very important needs on the Ravens roster. If Jon Ogden decides to retire, the offensive line will be a big concern, although they will probably focus their next pick on an O-Lineman. Defensive line and another receiver should be addressed in the later rounds of the draft, as well as additional secondary reserves. However, these two top picks will have an immediate effect on the future of the Baltimore Ravens.
 
Matt Miller, host of this site as well as owner of New Era Scouting, provides his analysis below:

For a team who needs an aggressive cover corner, Flowers is the ideal fit. he may go much higher than this in two weeks because of his ability to play in a Cover 2 scheme. He's a hard hitting corner with play-making speed. He can play safety or nickelback as he learns behind two greats in Chris McAlister and Samari Rolle. Again, I love this pick.

Grade: A  ::  Brandon Flowers Scouting Report - New Era Scouting :: Matt Miller's Top Five Prospects Remaining: 1.  LB Jerod Mayo, 2.  LB Shawn Crable, 3.  RB Jamaal Charles, 4.  WR Earl Bennett, 5.  TE Fred Davis

Day 15 (wow! already?) of the SB Nation NFL Mock Draft is in the books.  We'll continue our steady pace tomorrow morning at 10AM with the pick from Niners Nation, whose San Francisco 49ers are now on the clock.