The Baltimore Ravens’ front office has earned a reputation for being one the best in the NFL, scouting and drafting star talent over the years. But perhaps their best work has been done after the draft, with the undrafted free agents.
The Ravens have a history of finding diamonds in the rough with their UDFA classes. Stars have been born from the group, from linebacker Bart Scott to kicker Justin Tucker, Baltimore has gotten quite a lot of value from the forgotten draft prospects. Entering this offseason, the Ravens have had at least one UDFA make the 53-man roster for the last 16 consecutive years.
With the 2020 NFL Draft over, Baltimore brought in 21 UDFAs to fight for roster spots. While some are pretty clearly training camp fodder, others have a legitimate chance of making the cut and extending the Ravens’ streak. Whether it’s from outstanding talent or being at a more shallow position, these eight players have the best shot of making the Ravens’ 53-man roster in 2020.
TE Jacob Breeland
With the trade of Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons, there’s a third spot on Baltimore’s tight end depth chart. Obviously, Nick Boyle and Mark Andrews are in the first two spots but Charles Scarff is far from a lock to make the team as the third option, even if he was on the practice squad with the Ravens last year. With a competition brewing at tight end, Breeland has the experience and college production to point to him being in the mix.
Breeland had his best season at Oregon in 2019, despite playing in just six games. He caught 26 passes for 405 yards and six touchdowns, proving he’s a pretty effective weapon. He’s got a big frame at 6-foot-5 and 252 pounds, and with solid hands, Breeland is a good option in the receiving game. While his blocking isn’t the worst I’ve ever seen, he’ll be more useful as a chip-blocker before going out for a route.
The biggest knock against Breeland is that he’s coming off a season-ending injury, tearing his ACL and meniscus, requiring surgery. Though he had to miss the NFL Scouting Combine, he suffered the injury in October, which means he could still be healthy enough to really compete for the roster spot at training camp.
OLB John Daka
This is the perfect case of a player with insane production that likely got lost in the shuffle thanks to being from a small school.
Daka is considered undersized for a pass rusher at 6-foot-2 and 227 pounds. But that lack of prototypical size hasn’t hurt his stats, posting 28 tackles for a loss, four forced fumbles, and 16.5 sacks in 2019.
Daka isn’t going to win many strength contests against offensive linemen but he’s electric around the edge. With good instincts and more-than-capable speed, Daka could be a really intriguing hybrid inside/outside linebacker in Baltimore’s scheme. He can rush on the outside and be deadly on late blitzes inside while having sideline-to-sideline speed in run support.
With outside linebacker being one of Baltimore’s most shallow positions right now, you can’t eliminate any of them. But a highly athletic player with incredible production will always get a little closer of a look, especially in a defensive scheme that covets versatility.
C Trystan Colon-Castillo
Colon-Castillo was knocked for his arm length during the draft process. While that means he struggles to do more blocking on the move and keeps him pegged at center, it’s not as big of a problem for a team like the Ravens. Baltimore’s power-run scheme is perfect for a gritty and strong player like Colon-Castillo, allowing him to move forward and manhandle defensive linemen.
Center also just so happens to be a position that’s completely up in the air. Matt Skura is still rehabbing from a gruesome knee injury that ended his 2019 campaign early. While Patrick Mekari was a UDFA last year and stepped up in replacing Skura, he’s not a lock to win the starting job or even a roster spot in 2020. Bradley Bozeman could be in the mix as well, but as the starting left guard last year, the hope is Baltimore doesn’t have to move him further inside.
Colon-Castillo should at least be in the competition for a roster spot as a backup center.
QB Tyler Huntley
The Ravens already have three quarterbacks they seem to like. Lamar Jackson clearly isn’t going anywhere and Robert Griffin III is the primary backup. If the Ravens keep three quarterbacks, it would seem Trace McSorley would have the roster spot locked up, right? Baltimore kept him on the 53-man roster all season long even though he only played one snap, seemingly protecting him from getting poached off the practice squad. But if McSorley doesn’t show either significant growth as a passer or some serious special teams ability in training camp, Huntley could sneak up on him.
There’s not a quarterback at athletically gifted as Jackson in the NFL but Huntley can hold his own in this regard. A mobile quarterback with experience in a zone-read offense is fitting with the Ravens’ skillset at the position, and his accuracy (73.1% completion rate in 2019) is a pretty major plus on top of that.
With Griffin an unrestricted free agent next offseason, finding a suitable future backup for Jackson is likely on Baltimore’s mind. If Huntley proves he can handle running in the NFL and protects the ball, don’t be shocked if he makes a real push for the third quarterback spot.
C Sean Pollard
Just like with Colon-Castillo, any center is going to at least be in competition for a roster spot thanks to the questionable depth at the position. However, Pollard has a leg up here given his experience at center, guard, and tackle. Baltimore absolutely loves versatility from their offensive linemen and they tend to lean towards backups that can play multiple positions decently rather than a guy that plays just one spot well.
Pollard is kinda the opposite of Colon-Castillo in playstyle and build, being quicker than strong and having longer arms. As a pretty polished player, Pollard has a high ceiling if he can add more strength. That upside is exciting, especially at a position that doesn’t have a legacy player already.
OLB Chauncey Rivers
Just like we’ve seen at center, outside linebacker is another position where any UDFA has a legitimate shot at making the roster. And like Daka earlier on this list, Rivers is an intriguing player with a lot of upside.
Rivers has the capability to be a three-down outside linebacker, offering the size to set the edge against the run and flashes of promise as a pass rusher. Initially at Georgia, Rivers ended up getting dismissed due to several marijuana arrests. He went to Mississippi State but missed the 2017 season due to being academically ineligible.
Rivers needs more polish, really only getting two seasons worth of production in college. He’s got the size and athleticism to make an impact and if he can keep his nose clean, he might just find a spot on the Ravens’ roster open for him.
OLB Marcus Willoughby
Willoughby might be the safest bet of the outside linebackers to make Baltimore’s 53-man roster. He’s got the size at 6-foot-3 and 260 pounds. He’s got decent production, putting up 65 combined tackles, 13.5 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, and two forced fumbles in 2019. He’s got the character, being a team captain at Elon last season.
While Willougby doesn’t necessarily have the same speed and production of Daka, he’s pretty physically gifted overall. Though he’s still pretty raw, Willoughby doesn’t have the character issues Rivers does. The upside and high character make him an option as a developmental prospect that could use special teams to make the 53-man roster initially.
TE Eli Wolf
Breeland is the more productive tight end from this UDFA class but Wolf is more exciting. Granted, it was hand-timed, but Wolf ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and stands at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. If those are accurate numbers, it would mean Wolf is a little smaller but significantly faster than Mark Andrews.
While Wolf didn’t get a ton of targets at either Tennessee or Georgia, he put up a solid yard-per-reception average in 2019 and found the end zone once. He’ll have to keep proving himself as a receiving option, even after a good showing in the East-West Shrine Game, but could be a balanced option as a blocker and receiver on a Baltimore offense that loves its tight ends.
