After the Ravens had made the final of their 11 picks in April’s NFL draft, coach John Harbaugh was requested whether or not he’d thought-about whether or not any have been potential rookie starters.
“Really, I’d look at this whole board and tell you that they have potential to be a starter,” he mentioned.
Almost seven months later, his appraisal doesn’t appear too far off. Four Ravens rookies have began a sport this season — middle Tyler Linderbam, tight finish Isaiah Likely, defensive deal with Travis Jones and cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis — and several other others have performed starter-level snaps or essential roles for the workforce this season.
As the Ravens put together for the second half of their season, much more rookie assist may very well be on the way in which. Here’s a take a look at how their draft class is performing getting into Week 10.
Safety Kyle Hamilton
The No. 14 general choose has graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 rookie security and No. 6 general security this season. Because of the Ravens’ depth there, nonetheless, 73 gamers on the place have performed extra defensive snaps. Marcus Williams and Chuck Clark began the season as every-down gamers. Since changing the injured Williams, Geno Stone has been certainly one of PFF’s high safeties.
That’s left Hamilton on the lookout for methods onto the sector. Special groups snaps have come simply; solely inside linebacker Kristian Welch has performed extra this season. On protection, although, the Notre Dame product’s numerous talent set — Ravens coaches didn’t anticipate him to be such an efficient blitzer — has made him the protection’s most versatile piece, if not its most used.
Hamilton’s seen almost equal taking part in time as a field security (67 snaps), slot defender (78) and deep security (86). He’s additionally lined up alongside the road of scrimmage, producing two quarterback pressures (one sack, one hit) in 13 pass-rush snaps. Hamilton has 25 tackles (one for loss) this season, and in protection, he’s permitting a passer ranking of simply 73.7 when focused, bouncing again from a forgettable early-season stretch.
“When you get some responsibility and do well with it, then you earn more responsibility,” Harbaugh mentioned Tuesday, a day after Hamilton performed 75% of the defensive snaps in a win over the New Orleans Saints, a season excessive. “He’s a rookie; he came out there and he had tough sledding the first couple games, but he didn’t get down on himself. The guys didn’t get down on him; they just kept pushing him. He was open to it, he was willing to listen to wise counsel, and it’s paid off for him.”
Center Tyler Linderbaum
The No. 25 general choose was the seventh offensive lineman taken within the first spherical, however maybe no rookie’s been higher. Linderbaum has been a cornerstone of the Ravens’ dynamic speeding assault, carving out operating lanes with tough “reach” blocks on zone ideas and eliminating second-level defenders as a puller on energy schemes. The Iowa product ranks No. 3 amongst facilities in ESPN’s run-block win price.
Linderbaum, who missed time in coaching camp with a foot harm, is certainly one of three Ravens who’ve performed each offensive snap this season, together with quarterback Lamar Jackson and left guard Ben Powers. His smaller body and lack of expertise have hampered him at instances in cross safety, the place he’s lined up towards among the NFL’s greatest nostril tackles. Linderbaum’s allowed two sacks and 13 pressures this season, in keeping with PFF.
“He told me after Week 4 … ‘Hey, it’s only my fourth game. I’m going to keep getting better,’” Harbaugh recalled Linderbaum telling him after Week 7. “And I believed him, and it’s been true. He’s just that kind of guy; he’s all business, he’s all ball, he loves it, he works really hard at it. He’s been playing well. He’s already playing really well, so to say that he’s going to keep getting better is quite a statement, and that’s a good thing.”
Outside linebacker David Ojabo
The second-round choose tore his Achilles tendon at Michigan’s professional day in March and didn’t observe absolutely till final week. He’s anticipated to make his NFL debut after the bye, bringing much more velocity to an explosive defensive entrance. Ojabo, thought-about a first-round expertise till his harm, was one of many nation’s most disruptive cross rushers final season (11 sacks, 5 pressured fumbles) however struggled at instances in run protection. He’ll doubtless be used situationally as a rookie.
“It looks like he’s really confident,” defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who coached Ojabo at Michigan final 12 months, mentioned after Ojabo was activated to the 53-man roster final week. “He’s playing fast out there, and he’s running around, he’s in great spirits. So I’m proud of the progress that he’s made to be able to get to this point so quickly. So we’ll see as the week comes and the weeks come and how his role evolves over that time.”
Defensive deal with Travis Jones
The third-round choose has featured prominently in video games towards extra run-heavy groups. Jones performed a season-high 38 defensive snaps in Week 6 towards the New York Giants, ending together with his first (and to date solely) sack of the season and serving to restrict operating again Saquon Barkely to 83 yards on 22 carries.
The Connecticut product sat out the Ravens’ first two video games whereas recovering from a preseason knee sprain, however he’s seen at the least 15 defensive snaps and 5 particular groups snaps in all seven of his appearances (three begins). With Michael Pierce (torn biceps) misplaced for the season, Jones has performed primarily as an early-down run stuffer.
According to PFF, he has 5 “stops” this season, that are recorded when a defender limits an offensive participant to 45% or much less of the yards wanted to maneuver the chains on first down or 60% or much less on second down, or when a defender prevents the participant from changing on third or fourth down. Only two rookie inside linemen have extra stops.
Offensive deal with Daniel Faalele
The fourth-round choose has appeared in each sport besides the Ravens’ season opener, owing largely to his particular groups contributions. On offense, Faalele has performed 129 snaps this season, nearly all of them coming in Week 3, when he got here on in aid of injured left deal with Patrick Mekari, and in a Week 4 begin.
For a longtime proper deal with, the Minnesota product fared nicely. He began slowly after approaching for Mekari towards the New England Patriots, giving up two sacks within the first half. But Faalele stabilized within the second half, and towards Buffalo per week later, he allowed simply three pressures towards a gifted Bills line, in keeping with PFF. The hulking, 6-foot-8 Faalele hasn’t graded out nicely as a run blocker, however he has super energy.
“Daniel has kind of established himself the last two games as a viable guy for us,” Harbaugh mentioned after the loss to Buffalo. “As we get guys back, he’s still going to be in the mix. He played really well.”
Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis
The fourth-round choose missed time within the preseason with a head harm however returned to well being by the Ravens’ season opener. He’s had a bumpy two months since then. Armour-Davis performed three defensive snaps towards the New York Jets in Week 1, 38 towards the Miami Dolphins in Week 2 and 9 towards the Patriots in Week 3.
Lining up nearly solely as an out of doors cornerback, the Alabama product gave up 5 catches on six targets for 69 yards and the late go-ahead landing towards Miami, in keeping with PFF. He was rapidly benched after permitting two catches on two targets for 71 yards towards New England. A wholesome scratch for the following 5 video games, Armour-Davis wasn’t activated till Monday’s win in New Orleans, when he earned 15 particular groups snaps.
“He’s coming along pretty good” on particular groups, coordinator Chris Horton mentioned after Week 1. “Earlier in training camp, he missed some of the time, so it was just good to get him out there and let him get a feel for our phase of the game. I think as we move forward, and we continue to go along, and we continue to stack these weeks, he’s going to continue to play very well for us.”
Tight finish Charlie Kolar
The fourth-round choose missed most of coaching camp after present process sports activities hernia surgical procedure and wasn’t activated to the Ravens’ 53-man roster till Tuesday. Tight ends coach George Godsey mentioned Tuesday that Kolar remains to be working his method into “football shape,” having had solely restricted observe time. The 6-foot-6 Kolar lined up principally within the slot at Iowa State, as Mark Andrews and Likely do in Baltimore, which means snaps may very well be scarce this 12 months.
“He’s a young player, and he missed a lot of time during training camp, so he’s still developing, but he’s out there,” Harbaugh mentioned Tuesday. “He looks good. He’s so talented, he’s so big, he has great hands. He wants to do well; he’s very conscientious.”
Punter Jordan Stout
The fourth-round choose is eleventh within the NFL in punting common (48.8 yards) and sixteenth in web punting common (41.9 yards). Last 12 months, Stout’s predecessor and now coach, Sam Koch, completed with averages of 44.4 yards and 40.0 yards, respectively. Stout’s additionally capably changed Koch because the holder within the Ravens’ kicking battery.
According to PFF, the Penn State product is averaging the Twelfth-best grasp time within the NFL (4.43 seconds per punt), and he’s put 11 of his 29 punts contained in the 20-yard line, a middle-of-the-pack price. After some early-season points, Stout has booted balls extra persistently in latest weeks, together with a momentum-swinging 69-yard punt in a Week 7 win over the Cleveland Browns.
“Our focus with him is, right now, it’s just consistency and just finishing,” Horton mentioned after Week 3. “He’s probably seeing a lot, and we’ll just try to get him under control, just take care of his business.”
Tight finish Isaiah Likely
The fourth-round choose was one of many NFL’s stars of the preseason. Now he’s one of many league’s greatest rookie tight ends. Among first-year gamers on the place, Likely ranks behind solely the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Cade Otton in catches (17), targets (27) and receiving yards (205).
The Coastal Carolina product has lined up all around the discipline for the receiver-needy Ravens — within the slot and within the backfield, out huge and as a blocker subsequent to the offensive line. Almost half of Likely’s receiving yards have come after the catch, a testomony to his slippery open-field strikes and really feel for holes in zone protection. Most encouraging, although, is his development as a blocker: After a sluggish begin, Likely earned elite run-blocking grades from PFF the previous two video games.
“He’s growing and he’s doing better each practice,” Godsey mentioned Tuesday. “He’s getting a lot of reps. … He’s a fast learner, too. We expect that to keep growing and improving.”
Cornerback Damarion “Pepe” Williams
The fourth-round choose has performed the third-most snaps of any Ravens rookie this season, behind solely Linderbaum and Hamilton. Williams has been on the sector for over a 3rd of the Ravens’ defensive snaps (213) and is tenth on the workforce in particular groups snaps (91). In 9 video games, he has 21 tackles (one for loss) and two passes defended.
The Houston product has impressed coaches together with his versatility — whereas he’s performed nearly solely within the slot, he’s lined up at security and dealt with deep-zone coverages — however his struggles in protection have been obtrusive at instances. According to PFF, opposing quarterbacks have posted a 129.0 passer ranking and thrown for 3 touchdowns when concentrating on Williams this season. He performed simply seven defensive snaps Monday towards New Orleans, an indication that the Ravens may very well be relying extra on Hamilton within the slot.
“Right now, we’re just looking for the best combination” within the secondary, Macdonald mentioned after Week 6, “but it’s definitely an open competition.”
Running again Tyler Badie
The sixth-round choose from Missouri was launched on the finish of a quiet coaching camp and preseason. He signed with the Ravens’ observe squad however hasn’t been elevated for a sport this season.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com