After trading up into the sixth round with the Minnesota Vikings and taking SMU wide receiver James Proche, the Baltimore Ravens used their second pick acquired to get Iowa safety Geno Stone at No. 219 in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
In three seasons at Iowa, Stone played in 32 games, getting six interceptions and returning one for a touchdown. He also made 126 combined tackles, including four for a loss and had one sack to go with four forced fumbles.
Stone lacks the ideal size and speed for a typical free safety. But he’s made up for that with good football intelligence and by reading the quarterback to put himself around the ball. Despite his smaller size, he isn’t afraid of coming up in run support but could improve his technique a little bit. With the Ravens, he can play a little of both strong and free safety, which Baltimore tends to merge together at times anyway.
Safety wasn’t one of Baltimore’s immediate needs but it was a long-term one we identified earlier. With Earl Thomas getting older, getting some immediate depth and a potential heir was something that could keep the position from becoming a much more pressing need as early as next season.
