I was legitimately shocked when Geno Stone declared for the NFL draft last year, forgoing his senior season after breaking onto the scene in 2019. He was one of the best tacklers I remembered seeing in a while out of Iowa’s defensive backfield, and rarely found himself out of position to make a play.
But, even the best safeties often don’t get picked until the mid-late rounds, and we can’t fault him for wanting to get paid. He was rewarded with a $2 million contract from the Ravens, and c’est la vie.
His departure opens the door for Kaevon Merriweather, a sophomore who saw a decent amount of action as a freshman in 2018, started at free safety opposite Stone in the 2019 opener against Miami The Lesser, got injured in practice the following week, and took a redshirt for the rest of the year.