OTA Notes: The Full Nelson

Anytime I roll up to Ravens offseason activities, only to find it’s a ‘Special Teams Day?’

You can hear a resounding groan… and maybe a little more pep in the step of head coach John Harbaugh, who certainly was clearly vocal- both praise and criticism- from all corners of the fields at One Winning Drive.

Simulated kick returns and field goal attempts aside, we did get some good glimpses into the depth today, as the Ravens took to the fields without the services of notable names including… well, you’ve surely read them all already.

Lots of stars were absent today.

Mark Andrews, Patrick Ricard, Gus Edwards, and Damarion Williams were all observing or working out off to the side. #Ravens https://t.co/y9XLPtTvuh

— Luke Jones (@BaltimoreLuke) June 6, 2023

A few notable players did find their way into the spotlight today for all of the right reasons, and on a day where the offense played clean in scrimmages with zero turnovers on the day? It’s only fitting that we focus heavily on the offensive side.

Nelson Agholor

The currently projected WR4 for the Ravens showed serious promise today with great catch after great catch, and solid hands throughout the day. Agholor’s best catch of the day was roping in a beautiful back shoulder throw from Lamar Jackson down the left sideline, then tapping his toes before stepping out of bounds. I know Agholor is (insanely) overlooked by many fans, but he’s going to be a valuable piece in this offense, and days like today should only raise hopes for his 2023 season.

Isaiah Likely

This is… likely… no surprise to most, but Isaiah Likely had himself a day. The second year Tight End could be found catching passings all over the field, running for extra yards, and making a beautiful sliding catch at the goal line to finish a toss from Lamar Jackson.

Ben Mason???

Yes. Ben Mason. I’ll be the first to rehash my original take on Mason in OTA’s last year, when I had no problem critiquing his choppy route running and sloppy footwork. Fast forward to today, and this is a totally different Ben Mason. The second year/second stint Fullback had much improved footwork, adeptly turned his head towards the QB before securing the pass, then turning up field and looking for battle damage (which… no hitting, but man if he could!). At one point, Mason roped in three straight passes, picking up a nice 20 yards on the third one.

Tavius Robinson

The rookie had himself a day today, and I absolutely love his bend. He was able to beat Ben Cleveland outside at will, creating backfield pressure in the process. He did try to push inside a few times and got stuffed in the process, but the rookie still put up a solid showing today. Keep stacking those practices and improving each day… he’ll find valuable snaps at some point this season.

[Related Article: Putting the Pieces Together]

Best of the Rest…

• David Ojabo stunting inside is something I love to see. It’s like he glides behind the line, plants, and explodes with so little effort but so much impact. He’s another player I’m seeing a ton of positives from early this offseason.
• Kyle Hamilton’s vision and pursuit is fantastic. Lamar threw one to Nelson Agholor and Hamilton sniffed it out, and nearly beat the ball to Agholor (and good thing there’s no hitting, or he could’ve blown up the vet receiver on that one)
• David Sharpe had some great reps today to the point he’s now in “could do worse for OT depth” territory for me.

Low-Lights…

• UDFA WR Tarik Black impressed in drills, but struggled mightily in scrimmages. Black dropped an easy touchdown in the corner of the end zone, then a few drives later, had a potential touchdown stripped from his hands (I believe it was ripped out by fellow rookie Trenton Simpson).
• James Proche II isn’t helping quiet the noise from fans who expect him to be cut before Week One. JP2 was chastised by coaching for trying too much one-handed stuff today, and doing so ineffectively. He looked frustrated at times which isn’t giving me any warm & fuzzy feelings…

Other Observations

• UDFA’s Sean Ryan and Corey Mayfield Jr got a little chippy late in practice as they continued to battle each other, rep after rep. Mayfield Jr started chirping at the offense… until Ryan roped in a pass, prompting the sideline of offensive players to chirp back and make some digs of their own.
• Kyle Hamilton’s shoes in practice are… I don’t know what they are. Glorified socks? Water shoes I owned when I was a child? They’re barely there and it throws me off, big time.

Player of the Day: Nelson Agholor

Play of the Game: Back Shoulder on a rope!

MVP: Michael Pierce’s shorts for not quitting, no matter how much they were worn out and stretched thin.