Anthony Averett selected by Baltimore Ravens in fourth round of NFL Draft

Alabama’s soft-spoken cornerback is now ready to make some noise at the next level. Anthony Averett is headed to Baltimore as he was selected with the No. 118 pick overall in the fourth round by the Ravens on Saturday.

Averett is the seventh former Crimson Tide player to come off the board in this year’s draft, joining Minkah Fitzpatrick (No. 11, Miami Dolphins), Da'Ron Payne (No. 13, Washington Redskins), Rashaan Evans (No. 22, Tennessee Titans) Calvin Ridley (No. 26, Atlanta Falcons), Ronnie Harrison (No. 93, Jacksonville Jaguars) and Da'Shawn Hand (No. 114, Detroit Lions).

In Baltimore, Averett will play in the same secondary as former teammate Marlon Humphrey, who was selected by the Ravens with the No. 16 overall pick in the first round last year. Baltimore's defense also features former Alabama linebackers C.J. Mosley and Tim Williams.

Averett was nicknamed “Smooth” by his Alabama teammates, a title that matched both his mellow personality and soft voice as well as his ability to effortlessly stick with receivers in coverage. Since rising onto the scene as a starter for the Crimson Tide in 2016, the speedy cornerback has tallied 16 pass breakups over the past two seasons.

The 5-foot-11, 183-pound cornerback was one of Alabama’s fastest players and recorded a time of 4.36 in the 40-yard dash during the NFL Combine. In high school he ran a 10.6 in the 100-meters, 6.46 in the 55 meters and high jumped 6-feet, 4-inches. During his junior year, he posted a long jump of 25-feet, 2 1/2 inches, second to only nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis in the New Jersey state record books. Averett graduated early to join Alabama before challenging for Lewis’ mark his senior year.