On a day when temperatures on the field approached ~infinity, the Ravens were able to get in a solid day of work, featuring some near-misses, a few drops and a disruptive day by an old friend on the defensive line.
James Proche brought in an athletic one-handed diving catch in the corner of the end zone on a throw from Lamar Jackson, but he just missed getting his feet down in bounds for it to count. Kyle Hamilton also just missed out on a remarkable athletic play, juggling and falling to the ground trying to corral a pass off Laquon Treadwell’s hands.
On the drops side of things, we had Shemar Bridges, Proche (twice) and then Ben Mason had one bounce off his chest on a pass up the middle late in practice. With the conditions out there, drops were probably to be expected. Still, they stand out when they happen.
Also standing out was Michael Pierce, who completely obliterated one play when he arrived at Jackson at about the same time as the snap did. He later forced an inside run to try to bounce outside for what looked like a big loss and he knocked down a pass at the line later in the day. It was a reminder of the kind of impact a healthy Michael Pierce can have on the field.
Other things that stood out:
— Josh Johnson looks “professional” when he’s on the field. He gets rid of the ball quickly and usually keeps it out of harm’s way. He got lucky on one pass, however, when a throw went off Corey Mayfield’s hands and into the mitts of Dontay Demus for a catch.
— Tyler Huntley was pretty sharp, and looked good on timing passes and a few back-shoulder throws. He completed a gorgeous pass to Bridges early in the day when he put a lot of zip into the toss.
— Sean Ryan caught a nice ball from Johnson on another pass that looked like a touchdown from my view.
— Kyu Kelly is often in tight coverage, even when passes were completed against him. That counts, right?
— Isaiah Likely had a good day, bringing a big reaction from the crowd on a difficult catch in team drills.
— Jackson hit Devin Duvernay on a big gain over Rock Ya-Sin, in front of Marcus Williams. Jackson rolled out and hit Duvernay in stride with one of those flick-of-the-wrist throws after a scramble.
— Seeing Kyle Hamilton stand next to Ar’Darius Washington was a stark reminder that football players come in all sizes, even if they might be in the same position group.
— Mark Andrews offered another reminder: the Ravens might have added a lot of offensive talent, but Andrews will not be forgotten. He was hit early and often, particularly by Jackson.
— I liked watching Malik Hamm today. At one point I had to stop and look up number 59’s name because he just kept filling up my notebook.
— Marlon Humphrey had a great break on a pass intended for Proche on the sideline and broke it up. It was an All Pro play.
— Ya-Sin also stood out, with great coverage up the sideline against Odell Beckham Jr., making Jackson double- and triple-pump before throwing incomplete. Beckham is ridiculously smooth when he runs routes. It’s rather beautiful to watch, actually.
— Tyler Linderbaum made a juggling catch off a batted ball. It went for probably a 1-yard loss, but it was cool. Thus, I share it with you.
— Keaton Mitchell is exactly as fast and shifty as I hoped he would be, and he turned the corner and flew upfield in a red zone drill that looked like it would have been a touchdown. Melvin Gordon and Gus Edwards also had some good moments throughout the day.
— Roquan Smith looks pretty tough in that “0” uniform.
