OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Jimmy Smith has developed into the best cornerback on the Baltimore Ravens and one of the top ones in the NFL. He is also emerging as a leader.

That became evident on Friday afternoon, when Smith stood in the middle of the final huddle of the day and spoke to the team. He touched on the value of time and how you want to look back on your career and be proud of it when it's all finished.

"Like all guys, he's grown up and continues to do that," Smith said. "He's taken a big role. He's a top player on our defense. I've said it many times: I think he's one of the best players in the league. And he carries himself that way."

Smith has taken a different route than many of the Ravens' first-round picks. He didn't start right away, as previous top picks like Joe Flacco or Michael Oher did. He didn't go to multiple Pro Bowls before the age of 26, as Haloti Ngata or Terrell Suggs did.

Dealing with injuries and inconsistency, Smith didn't become a full-time starter in the NFL until last season, his third year in the NFL.

Once he established himself in the Ravens defense, he quickly built a reputation for slowing down some of the top receivers in the NFL: Cincinnati's A.J. Green, Cleveland’s Josh Gordon, Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown, Chicago's Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall, Carolina's Kelvin Benjamin and Tampa Bay's Vincent Jackson.

"I think he's really learned how to take care of himself and study," Harbaugh said. "He talked about that as far as knowing what to do and studying your opponent. [He's] taking care of himself physically; I think he's done a great job of that. He had injury issues early on and I think he's learned how to take care of himself. He's done a great job with that."