Resilient WR amongst Reese’s Senior Bowl standouts who match Ravens offensive wants

The Ravens entrance workplace has lengthy believed in drafting and creating their core expertise relatively than counting on veteran acquisitions. Normal supervisor Eric DeCosta has repeatedly stated that the draft is the “lifeblood” of the group, and a fast look on the roster explains why. Outdoors of Roquan Smith, all the Ravens’ key long-term gamers have been acquired by way of the draft.

Faculty soccer’s annual all-star video games are key scouting alternatives for the Ravens. The Reese’s Senior Bowl is likely one of the premier occasions of the circuit and offers a pool of the highest collegiate expertise from which the Ravens recurrently discover future gamers.

4 of the Ravens’ 9 choices within the 2024 NFL Draft attended final 12 months’s Senior Bowl: proper deal with Roger Rosengarten, outdoors linebacker Adisa Isaac, extensive receiver Devontez Walker and operating again Rasheen Ali.

Listed below are some promising prospects who match the Ravens’ positions of want on offense and will hear their names known as by the group through the 2025 NFL Draft.

IOL Gray Zabel, North Dakota State

Picture by Derick E. Hingle/Getty Photographs

The previous FCS standout who spent the final two years enjoying left deal with for the Bison tasks higher as an inside participant on the subsequent stage. Zabel might be one of many largest risers up draft boards after he persistently dominated higher-level competitors. He took reps in any respect three inside spots all through the week, incomes Nationwide Crew’s Follow Participant of the Week honors. Throughout apply, he’d typically flip between each guard spots from one rep to a different and confirmed spectacular grip power, hand placement, and skill to reflect to associate with a powerful anchor.

In Saturday’s sport, he began at proper guard and carried out properly in cross safety and largely held up as a run blocker. (His one unhealthy rep was in opposition to a participant additional down this checklist.) Zabel moved over to middle within the second quarter and continued his success on pulls and screens. Whereas the Ravens are set at middle with two-time Professional Bowler Tyler Linderbaum, they might be dropping versatile veteran Patrick Mekari in free company and beginning proper guard Daniel Faalele is coming into the ultimate 12 months of his rookie contract. Zabel is perhaps an possibility for the Ravens within the late first spherical or in the event that they commerce again into the early second. He seemingly received’t be accessible within the backside of Spherical 2 after the robust week he had.

WR Jack Bech, TCU

Picture by Don Juan Moore/Getty Photographs

The previous Horned Frog has one of the inspiring tales of the pre-draft cycle. His older brother, Tiger, was one of many victims of the home terrorism in New Orleans on New 12 months’s Day. With gamers on each side sporting a helmet decal to commemorate Tiger, Jack Bech honored his brother in one of the best ways he knew how. He was the most effective total gamers from the occasion whose draft inventory is definitely on the rise. Bech displayed the ability set of a whole receiver all week, exhibiting robust fingers, operating crisp routes and making contested catches. On day two of apply, he shined as a blocker and hauled in an underthrown deep ball from Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe over two defenders.

Bech carried his momentum into Saturday’s sport. He acquired Senior Bowl MVP honors after ending with six receptions for 68 receiving yards and a game-winning landing. On the primary drive, he went over the center to make a troublesome catch for first down. He made a pleasant block on a display on the second drive that led to a primary down and later exhibited nice physique management and toughness to haul in a deep ball off a flea flicker. His final three receptions all got here on the sport’s ultimate drive, capped off by a walk-off landing.

Bech entered the week projected to be a Day 3 prospect with only one 12 months of prolific manufacturing in school (62 catches for 1,034 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns in 2024). Nevertheless, he might need very properly put himself into Day 2 consideration this previous week. The Ravens might use an improve at No. 3 receiver behind 2024 Professional Bowler Zay Flowers and breakout fourth-year professional Rashod Bateman with each Tylan Wallace and Nelson Agholor slated to be unrestricted free brokers.

IOL Clay Webb, Jacksonville State

Vasha Hunt-Imagn Photographs

The previous College of Georgia switch blocked like an absolute ‘dawg’ alongside the inside on the primary day of apply, making fairly a powerful first impression on all these in attendance. He confirmed a powerful anchor and was a highway grader as a run blocker the place his popularity of enjoying with a imply streak flashed. Webb held his personal in 1-on-1s on the second day however and up and down efficiency in Saturday’s sport.

Webb began robust with some good pass-blocking reps in opposition to Toledo defensive deal with Darius Alexander who was one of many standouts of the week on the second drive whereas at left guard. He form of gave up a sack to Utah defensive deal with Junior Tafuna however the pocket was collapsing round Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard who stepped into it. Webb made a pleasant pull on a six-yard acquire on the primary play of the second half, obtained beat for a sack that compelled a 50-yard subject aim try that was finally miss and obtained known as for a false begin late within the fourth quarter. Total, he helped himself and confirmed that he might be a strong inside depth piece who might turn into a top quality starter and is somebody to watch on Day 3 of the draft.

WR Jayden Higgins, Iowa State

Vasha Hunt-Imagn Photographs

At 6-foot-4 and 217 kilos, the previous Cyclone brings a bodily dimension and skillset the Ravens don’t presently have on their roster and he performs as much as his spectacular dimension. Wiggins bounced again from an up-and-down first day of apply with a a lot stronger efficiency on the second. He confirmed off extra nuanced route-running in addition to contested catch capacity and did the identical within the sport. On the primary drive, he gained separation and picked up first down on a catch he made on a crossing route after which hauled in a contested landing in the long run zone off a trick play for the primary factors of the sport.

This extensive receiver class has a scarcity of prospects with prototypical X receiver builds and playmaking capacity. On condition that he is likely one of the few exceptions, Wiggins might be an possibility for the Ravens as early because the second spherical. In his ultimate 12 months in school, he recorded 87 catches for 1,183 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns and averaged 91 yards per sport—all of which have been profession highs.