Ravens Press Releases

BALTIMORE RAVENS PLAYER PROFILE: Michael Oher

by Ravens PR Department

April 30, 2009
4:00 am

Reading Time: 2 minutes

MICHAEL OHER

No. 74

Tackle – Rookie

6-4, 309

Mississippi

HS: Briarcrest Christian (Memphis, TN)

Born: May 28, 1986

Joined Ravens: Draft 1 (23^rd), 2009

Pro: Michael Oher was selected in the 1st round (23rd overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft…“Michael was clearly, I think, the best player available,” said Eric DeCosta, Ravens director of player personnel. “We’re in a very physical division, we’re a very physical team, and offensive line-wise, we feel like he’s a huge upgrade for us as a player. Great kid – we spent a lot of time with him. He’s a special kid with a great story. A great player. We’re very, very excited to get him. We think he helps us big time.”…The Ravens traded up from the 26th to the 23rd pick (giving up their 2009 5th-round selection) to tab Oher.

College: Four-year starter who began his career at guard, then moved to left tackle as a sophomore…Ended his career with the 3rd-best active consecutive starting streak (47) among SEC players…Was a consensus All-American 1st-team and unanimous All-SEC 1st-team choice as a senior, when he won the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given to the conference’s top offensive lineman…Was the subject of the New York Times best seller “The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game” by Michael Lewis.

2008: Consensus 1st-team All-American and unanimous 1st-team All-SEC choice as a senior when he won the SEC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given to the conference’s top offensive lineman…Named team captain and started all 13 games at LT…Allowed just 2.5 sacks on 340 pass plays, while posting a league-high 15 TD resulting blocks…Helped Ole Miss to rank 28th nationally and 2nd in the SEC in rushing (186.5 yards per game) and 29th in the nation and 3rd in the SEC in total offense with 407.6 yards per game.

2007: Consensus 1^st-team All-SEC selection, after starting all 12 games at LT…Posted 12 TD-resulting blocks and 99 knockdowns/key blocks…Was penalized just 3 times and posted an 84.8% grade for blocking consistency.

2006: Started all 12 games as a sophomore, earning 2nd-team All-SEC honors after moving to LT from G…Posted 8 TD-resulting blocks (of the Rebels’ 20 offensive TDs), while allowing just 3.5 sacks…Helped BenJarvus Green-Ellis become the 3rd 1,000-yard runner in Ole Miss history and record 4 100-yard rushing games.

2005: First-team Freshman All-American by Rivals.com and The Sporting News, and he earned 3rd-team honors from College Football News…Also earned 1st-team Freshman All-SEC accolades by the league’s coaches and The Sporting News…Saw action in all 11 games, starting 10 at guard…Netted 6 TD-resulting blocks.

High School, Personal: Prepped at Briarcrest Christian (Memphis, TN), earning USA Today and EA Sports All-American honors…Was a member of the 2005 Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association All-Star team, which was chosen to compete against the Kentucky prep All-Stars…Also competed in the US Army All-American Bowl and was named to Rivals.com’s All-American Bowl All-Time Team…Selected by Tom Lemming/ESPN as the nation’s top offensive tackle and was named to the SuperPrep All-American team, as he was ranked No. 24 among offensive linemen…Also earned 2 letters in track and basketball…Averaged 22 points and 10 rebounds a game, earning All-State honors as by helping lead the basketball team to a 27-6 record, winning the district championship as a senior…Was also a state runnerup in the discus as a senior…Was the subject of the New York Times best seller “The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game” by Michael Lewis…Full name: Michael Jerome Oher.