Baltimore Ravens end Shaun Wade’s draft fall in the fifth round
The Baltimore Ravens are just a few pieces away from being in contention for a Super Bowl and they’ve done a great job so far in the 2021 NFL Draft. They came away with instant contributors on both sides of the football in the first round with the selections of Rashod Bateman and Jayson Oweh.
On Day 2, they landed perhaps their new starting left guard in Ben Cleveland and competition in the secondary with Brandon Stephens. Here we are on Day 3 and the Baltimore Ravens may have gotten their best value yet. They took Tylan Wallace in the fourth round, who many thought would go in the second or third, but the even more notable fall was former Ohio State cornerback, Shaun Wade, who the Ravens just landed at 160th overall.
If Shaun Wade had opted out last season, he would have likely been one of the first cornerbacks off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft. Fast forward to today and Wade was the 24th corner to hear his name called. After playing at a high level as a nickel in his first two seasons with the Buckeyes, Wade made the decision to return to school because he wanted to prove to the league that he could play on the boundary and things did not go well.
I have to assume he’s going to kick back inside in Baltimore but many believe he could also make the switch to safety if the Ravens want to go that route. When you look at their defense, they do have a need at that backup nickel spot behind Tavon Young, so that is his most likely landing spot on the depth chart.
dark. Next. Grading each first-round 2021 NFL Draft pick
Wade is a really instinctual player that just doesn’t have the quickness or feet to survive on the outside in the NFL. However, what he does bring is a competitive, physical, instinctual style of play that will translate if used correctly with the Baltimore Ravens. After a gut-wrenching draft fall for the former projected first-rounder, Shaun Wade couldn’t have asked for a better spot to land.