Sunday concluded the Ravens’ first mini-camp of the season
as forty players – compiled from draft picks, undrafted free-agents and a few
of last years practice squad players – took the field to try to earn a spot on
the roster with the defending AFC North champions.
For most NFL teams, these practices are considered a walkthrough
with very few drills and even less contact being made. Head Coach John Harbaugh
said on Sunday, “We don’t ever have walkthroughs. As a matter of fact, that
term is forbidden around here.”
These camps are designed to adapt those players without professional
experience to the NFL level and speed of the game/practices. Not much can be
taken from the media’s perspective during the 90-minute session but there were
a few players of interest that stuck out.
Courtney Upshaw
is thick…perhaps a little too thick. By no means does this mean he is out of
shape but he must transform his body to adapt from the college game to the
pros.
While at Alabama, Upshaw wasn’t used to dropping back into
coverage that much but his game will have to change now that he’s with the
Ravens. For Upshaw to become effective, he’ll have to shed a few pounds off of
his current 272lb. frame to gain some mobility and drop back into coverage more
effectively.
As for his positioning throughout camp, Upshaw lined up at
both edge-rushing positions during drills against the offense. Even though he’s
expected to fill the position vacated by the injured Terrell Suggs, getting him
acclimated with both sides only helps him become more interchangeable in an
ever shifting defensive scheme.
Bernard Pierce, the
newest Ravens running back, split carries with Damian Berry, who spent last
year on the practice squad. Berry carried the heavier load in practice, likely
due to his familiarity with the role, and looked quick and in great shape on
Sunday.
As he becomes more familiar with the playbook and practice
speed, Pierce will be elevated up the depth chart. The chance of Ray Rice
missing some part of camp due to his contract situation will only give Pierce
more of a crash course into the NFL.
Regardless of who earns the second running back spot, there
will be plenty of competition between Pierce, Berry and Anthony Allen.
When talking about second round guard Kelechi Osemele, it’s hard to ignore his size and strength. With
extremely limited contact, it’s hard to gauge anything else about him at this
time.
After seeing his size versus the other offensive linemen, if
he is as tough as he looks on film, it should be expected that he’ll occupy the
position vacated by Ben Grubbs this offseason.
Rookie wide receiver Tommy
Streeter is going to be a project. Taken in the sixth-round, the Ravens
don’t have much invested into Streeter, who can best be described as “raw.” Still,
he has size and speed you can’t find every year at the end of the draft.
Streeter could provide the immediate red zone jump ball
threat the Ravens have lacked for years, but at the same time he’s not going to
help this team in-between elsewhere until he becomes more polished. More than
any other player, Streeter needs to stay glued to receivers coach Jim Hostler’s
hip throughout training camp and learn everything he can about route running.
At one point, Streeter ran a bad route and it was jumped by
rookie free-agent cornerback Charles
Brown from North Carolina. Shortly after Brown’s interception, Streeter left
the field and headed to the locker room.
Streeter later told the media he had been dealing with a
stomach virus since Saturday night and wasn’t feeling well.
The most popular name throughout training camp in August may
be Justin Tucker.
The undrafted kicker out of Texas is expected to become the
primary competition to challenge Billy Cundiff – who, following the release of
Lee Evans, is the only remaining goat in Baltimore after last seasons AFC
Championship debacle.
Tucker is accurate and eager to make the team. He connected
from 34 and 35 yards perfectly through the uprights, bouncing the ball off the
elevated camera platform each time. Tucker also connected from 43 and 53 before
missing two attempts from 60 yards out.
As a test of leg strength, Tucker’s final 60-yard shot fell
just short hitting the back of the end zone a mere yard short of the goal posts.
Look for Tucker to provide some competition, as well as to gain
some popularity with the fan base simply because his name isn’t Billy Cundiff.
