The Ravens were seeking a physical Cornerback in the First Round of the 2011 NFL Draft, and they found that in Jimmy Smith, who, over an 11-year career spent entirely with the Ravens, relied on size, length, and tight boundary coverage to match up directly against opposing teams’ primary receiving threats.

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches and weighing 210 pounds, Smith exhibited exceptional physical stature for a boundary cornerback. In his role as a press-man technician, his principal strength lay in jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage, thereby disrupting route timing, and leveraging his reach to contest throws on boundary fades and deep vertical routes.

After serving as a rotational defensive back during his first two seasons, Smith etched his name into franchise lore during the 2012 postseason. In Super Bowl XLVII, with Baltimore defending a five-point lead against San Francisco late in the fourth quarter, Smith provided tight coverage on Michael Crabtree on a final 4th-and-goal attempt from the 5-yard line, forcing an incomplete pass to seal a 34–31 championship victory.

Building on that signature moment, Smith became Baltimore’s primary starting cornerback from 2013 through 2017. During his peak 2014 season, he allowed a lower completion percentage and quarterback rating in coverage than almost any cornerback in football before a foot injury cut his campaign short. In 2017, he returned a fumble for a touchdown and posted three interceptions, including a pick-six against Oakland.

He evolved late in his career into a versatile defensive sub-package weapon capable of covering tight ends or moving into the slot before retiring in 2022.  Smith had 374 tackles, 74 passes defensed, 14 interceptions, and three defensive touchdowns for Baltimore.