T.J. Onwuanibe, a 14-year-old cancer survivor and Baltimore Ravens fan from Laurel, Md., could barely contain his excitement, pumping his fist before announcing former Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey as the Ravens’ first-round selection of the NFL Draft Thursday night.
Of course, Onwuanibe wasn’t the only person pleased by the news. Humphrey became the first former Alabama player drafted on the night with the 16th overall pick.
* Marlon Humphrey goes No. 16 to Baltimore Ravens in NFL Draft
That was cause for plenty of fist pumping for the Humphrey household back in Hoover, Ala.
“There was a lot of jumping and screaming, flip turning and everything,” said Marlon’s father, Bobby Humphrey, a former Alabama great and NFL running back. “Nobody was sitting down calm when that happened. When they made that announcement, everybody was extremely excited.
“I thought it was a great moment, I hope the city of Baltimore is as excited as we are.”
Marlon watched the draft with his family at his home. The viewing was a private event with no cameras or media present. Following the selection, Bobby, who was selected by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 1989 NFL Supplemental Draft, hugged his son telling him that he was headed to a great organization.
“We’ve watched Baltimore play. They play aggressive in the secondary,” Bobby said. “They have a really good defense, I think similar to the type of physical defense Marlon played when he was at Alabama. I really think it’s going to be a great fit.”
Marlon earned first team All-America recognition by the Football Writers Association of America last season after tallying two interceptions and five pass break-ups. During the NFL Combine, the 6-foot 197-pound cornerback wowed NFL scouts with a 4.41 time in the 40-yard dash and a 6.75 time in the 3-cone drill.
After that performance, many projected Marlon to be a first-round selection Thursday night. However, being the first Alabama player off the board came as a surprise to just about everyone, especially with how the night transpired.
Humphrey was the No. 2 cornerback and No. 14 player on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper’s “Big Board” heading into the draft. However, the first defensive back was not taken until LSU safety Jamal Adams went No. 6 to the New York Jets, followed by Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who went No. 11 to the New Orleans Saints. To make matters more stressful, none of Alabama's projected top-10 picks, defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, linebacker Reuben Foster or tight end O.J. Howard had been picked.
“I knew there had been a lot of people projecting first round, and there were others that were projecting him to go around the second (round),” said Josh Niblett, Marlon’s former head coach at Hoover High School. “When the Baltimore pick came up, it really caught me a little bit off guard. Then I head (NFL draft analyst) Mike Mayock say that the Ravens need corners and that Marlon was one of the two that was still on the board that he really liked.
“That’s when they went with Marlon, and that’s when I went nuts in the living room.”
Once the emotion of the event died down a little bit, Bobby passed down some advice to his son, reminding him not to lose focus on his job and continuing to achieve his goal of becoming the best player he can be.
Right now, the young cornerback isn’t about to let this opportunity go to waste.
“I know Marlon, one thing he did say earlier this week is that he is ready to go,” Bobby said. “Wherever he was going to go, he’s ready to get started. He’s tired of working getting himself prepared. He’s ready to prove to the Baltimore Ravens that he’s excited about playing and showing what he can do.”
