NFL Mock Draft 2016: Week 14 edition

4. Baltimore Ravens

The Balimore Ravens are in a dire straights right now. All of the bad juju from last season’s Ray Rice saga has carried over to this year. Terrell Suggs blew out Achilles’ in the team’s first game. Then there was a string of tightly-fought losses, a brief glimmer of hope, and then the final death blow when Joe Flacco and Justin Forsett were lost in the same game.

This roster is an interesting one in that the team is in a state of purgatory stuck between not quite old, but not quite young, but definitely not in its prime. There are holes across the roster with no quick fix. And yet, had a few breaks gone their way it’s a club that could legitimately be fighting for the postseason. Is there honor in being the best bad team in the NFL?

If there’s something the Ravens need immediately it’s help in the defensive secondary. With six annual games against the likes of A.J. Green, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, Travis Benjamin and, perhaps, Josh Gordon, Baltimore needs somebody to lock down the wideouts.

As the college season has progressed, Mackensie Alexander has shot up the draft boards. He’s part of the No. 1 team in the nation, and has anchored Clemson’s dynamic pass defense (ranked No. 5 in the country). Alexander is a defensive blanket on the opposition and will immediately pay dividends for the Ravens.

Next: No. 5 Jacksonville Jaguars