The lack of a reliable third safety in the Baltimore Ravens secondary in 2024 had a detrimental ripple effect and played a significant role in the pass defense’s rough start through the first 10 games of the regular season.

Following the benching of veteran Marcus Williams and the release of former two-time Pro Bowler Eddie Jackson, first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr was forced to transition All Pro safety Kyle Hamilton into a more traditional role to stabilize the unit and stop the bleeding in the backend.

The resolution had the desired effect, and the emergence of former undrafted gem Ar’Darius Washington, who was inserted into the starting lineup, gave the Ravens one of the best safety tandems in the league down the stretch.

However, it also prevented Hamilton from being utilized to the full extent of his dynamic playmaking ability because he spent less time playing near the line of scrimmage in the hybrid slot safety role that made him a star in his first two years in the league.

Both Orr and general manager Eric DeCosta have talked about the value of a third difference-making safety in their defense and their desire to add one.

“I think us trying to find another safety to complement Kyle, complement AD, that’s just what we like to do,” Orr said. “We like to play a lot with a lot of (defensive backs) and speed on the field, especially in pass situations. We like to have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things.”

While a lot of prominent draft analysts have them projected to land Georgia’s Malaki Starks in the first round at No. 27 overall, they could go in a different direction whether he’s available or not and reunite Hamilton with his former Notre Dame teammate by selecting Xavier Watts in the first or second round.

The two of them played together for Hamilton’s final two years of college from 2020-2021. Watts played wide receiver as a true freshman, converted to linebacker as a sophomore and transitioned to safety after Hamilton went to the NFL.

Over the past two seasons, Watts has been the best ballhawk in the nation at the collegiate level with 13 interceptions while earning All-American honors in both years.

In his breakout junior season, he led the nation with seven interceptions and was the recipient of the Bronko Nagurski Award which is given to the Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the FBS. As a senior this past season, he recorded six interceptions including his first pick-six and he recorded career highs with 82 total tackles including four for a loss and 10 pass breakups.

While Watts isn’t as long, tall or heavy as Hamilton, he proved that he can be just as versatile and disruptive with the ways he can be deployed and made plays in college. In addition to having elite instincts, range and ball skills in coverage, he also plays extremely physical downhill in the run game where he often reads and reacts quickly.

Reuniting Watts with Hamilton would be the perfect complement to the position that Orr mentioned in his recent appearance on “The Lounge” podcast. Both players could be utilized in similar versatile ways which will only further enhance and elevate the play of the Ravens defense as a whole. They can take turns playing single-high, man-to-man, in the box and on the line of scrimmage as a blizter or dropper on simulated pressures.

Although some analysts have a solid Day 2 grade on Watts, if the Ravens see a steep drop off after him and Starks as far as the ideal type of safety they need to fill that role, trading back into the early portion of the second round or just sticking and picking him in round one could be the move.

Recent history has shown that the Ravens are better off developing young safeties they’ve drafted or signed as undrafted free agents than they are at seeking them out in free agency. They’ve hit on players like Hamilton, Washington, Chuck Clark, Geno Stone and DeShon Elliott while completely whiffing or not getting the most out of veterans like Williams, Jackson and Earl Thomas.

There’s a strong chance that Watts will not only be another success story, but also a home run pick if he lands in Baltimore and is paired with his fellow former member of the Fighting Irish.