The Baltimore Ravens selected cornerback Brandon Stephens in the third-round of the 2021 NFL draft, knowing that he would be a bit of a project player. He played running back during his first two college seasons at UCLA before transferring to SMU, where he learned how to be a cornerback.
Stephens played safety during his rookie year before making the jump back to cornerback in Year Two. He has since grown tremendously at the position, and is taking off in his third professional season. Baltimore pass game coordinator Chris Hewitt sang the praises of Stephens, saying that he’s always had that kind of ability.
“I’d be lying in saying I could have foreseen him playing as well as he has, but he’s always had that kind of ability. Again, because we moved him around so much, now, he’s had the opportunity to really soak at the position, and his confidence is just growing and growing and growing. Now, he realizes what he can do and what he can’t do when he gets out on the field [with] being able to match the best wide receivers in the league and go out there and go play.”