The Baltimore Ravens have had some legendary defenders during their time as a franchise in the NFL.
Now they could be looking to add a relative of one of those stars to their current squad.
With some holes on their roster that haven’t been filled in free agency, the team’s decisions in the draft have become even more important.
That has made their most recent pre-draft visit an interesting one for the Ravens.
Ryan Mink from the Ravens’ website revealed that they hosted a pre-draft visit with former Air Force safety Trey Taylor.
Taylor is the cousin of Ravens legend Ed Reed.
Succeeding in the Family Business
Reed had a pretty memorable career with the Ravens.
In 11 seasons with the team he earned nine All-Pro nods, led the NFL in interceptions three times, won a Super Bowl, and set numerous team and league records. He has since been inducted in the Hall of Fame.
Taylor’s career hasn’t been quite as prolific yet, but he already began racking up some major accolades during his time at Air Force.
It started in 2022. Taylor earned a spot on the All-Mountain West Second team after making 69 total tackles and grabbing a pair of interceptions for the Falcons.
In 2023 he had an even more impressive year. He brought those numbers up to 74 total tackles and three interceptions, with one of those interceptions being returned for a touchdown.
As a result, he jumped up the First Team in the Mountain West, was named a First Team All-American, and won the Jim Thorpe award as the best defensive back in college football.
Now he’ll hope those accolades translate into a successful NFL career and it seems his cousin’s old team could be one looking for that career to take place with them.
No Depth at Safety for Ravens
The Ravens certainly don’t have a major need at safety right now.
It’s a position they’ve invested heavily in over recent years.
They gave Marcus Williams a $70 million contract just a couple of years ago to pry him away from the Saints and slot him in as one of their starters.
Then they drafted Kyle Hamilton in the first round to take over the other spot.
That’s a move that has paid off quickly as Hamilton earned an All-Pro nod in just his second season in the NFL.
However, there could still be a spot for Taylor on this roster.
The Ravens don’t have any depth at the position right now.
In 2023, they had Geno Stone coming off the bench at the position and he ended up tying at the top of the league in interceptions.
Now he has taken a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, leaving the Ravens without anybody behind their two star safeties.
They likely won’t be looking to invest too much in finding somebody to take Stone’s place.
Instead, the later portions of the NFL Draft seem like where they’ll look to find their safety depth.
Taylor should be available to them late in the draft and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them take a chance on a player from the same family tree as one of the greatest players who has ever worn a Ravens uniform.
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Ed Reed’s Cousin Had a Pre-Draft Visit With Ravens: Report