Ravens See Smith As Shutdown CB

The term “shutdown corner” is often overused. To find one is a rarity.
 
But the Ravens believe they’ve landed just that with first-round pick Jimmy Smith.
 
Immediately after drafting Smith, Defensive Coordinator Chuck Pagano got on the phone with his newest toy.
 
“We’ve had elite shutdown corners here in the past and we just got the next one – the next great Raven cover corner,” Pagano said.
 
The former player Pagano is referring to is none other than Chris McAlister, who during his 10 years in Baltimore widely earned the “shutdown” distinction. 
 
The Ravens drafted McAlister No. 10 overall in 1999. He became a starter by his fifth NFL game and made five interceptions as a rookie. In his second season, McAlister was an integral part of the Ravens’ vaunted Super Bowl defense. He was voted to three pro bowls.
 
Before the draft, Ravens Director of Player Personnel Eric DeCosta acknowledged that Smith and McAlister have a similar body structure (both are about 6-foot-2, 210 pounds). They also share a competitive, physical playing style and are adept at press coverage.
 
The 22-year-old Smith said he knows who McAlister is, but hasn’t seen him play.
 
“But I’ve heard he’s a tremendous player,” added Smith, who also likes comparisons to the Oakland Raiders’ Nnamdi Asomugha. “Any time it’s a great guy, I like [the comparisons].”
 
Smith was asked to give his definition of a shutdown corner during his introductory press conference.
 
“I think a shut-down corner is the all-around corner – one that’s going to support in the run game; one that’s going to lock down his side of the field,” he said. “People might catch a ball on you, but not more than one a game.”
 
It sounds a lot like what Smith did in college, when he was thrown at only 20 times in man coverage in 2010 and allowed just 11 completions in man coverage during his junior and senior seasons.
 
Pagano, a former secondary coach, knows how tightened coverage on the outside can have a ripple effect. It creates the possibility for more blitzing, and at least causes the quarterback to hold the ball longer, allowing more time for rushers to reach their target.
 
Pagano’s mind is whirling with possibilities.
 
“Getting a guy of his caliber, with his measurables and things like that, it just opens up a whole bunch of other things that you can do defensively,” he said.
 
“Just use Revis Island as an example. You get a guy with elite cover skills, a guy of Jimmy’s stature, and you can say, ‘OK, you’ve got this guy. You take care of this side of the field. We’ve got 10 guys to handle everything else.’ You can do so many things with that.”