The Ravens selected Nicholls State defensive back Lardarius Webb in the third round Sunday, hoping recent history doesn't repeat itself.
It was only three years ago that the Ravens missed on another small-school defensive back, David Pittman, who became one of their biggest third-round busts.
Asked about the challenge of not coming from a Division I school, Webb said: "I think I have something to prove. I love the game. To get a chance to continue playing football on another level is perfect."
Webb, who can play cornerback and safety, was compared with Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders by draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
Webb has Division I experience, playing two seasons at Southern Mississippi before being dismissed for a violation of team rules. He said he frequented nightclubs with "the wrong crowd." He missed curfews and broke other rules that he declined to discuss in detail.
"I've learned to make better choices," Webb said. "I was a young guy making stupid decisions for all the wrong reasons. Now I'm older."
Webb showed some maturity when he volunteered to help coach Nicholls State's defensive backs at practices this spring when there was a temporary hiring freeze at the school.
"He's a young man that realized that he made some mistakes, and he has started to overcome them," general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "His track record over the past two years shows us that he's headed in the right direction."
Phillips uncertain
Inside linebacker Jason Phillips, the Ravens' fifth-round pick out of Texas Christian, might have to sit out the first month of minicamps with a knee injury.
Phillips tore his meniscus at the scouting combine Feb. 23 and had surgery a few days later. Rehabilitation was expected to take six to eight weeks.
Asked about Phillips' availability for the Ravens' minicamps, which begin May 8, director of player personnel Eric DeCosta said, "We have a comfort level with him, but I'm not sure what his involvement is going to be."
Kruger '100% healthy'
There has been more talk about what happened to defensive end-linebacker Paul Kruger off the field than on it.
Kruger, the Ravens' second-round pick, lost a kidney in a car accident in 1999 and needed 50 staples to close incisions after a stabbing in January 2008.
