Ravens Starter at LG? Rookie Sala Aumavae-Laulu 'In the Mix' - Harbaugh
When the Baltimore Ravens selected offensive lineman Sala Aumavae-Laulu in the sixth round of April's NFL Draft, most expected the former Oregon standout to fill a depth role.
But Aumavae-Laulu has proven during OTAs and minicamp that he has other plans ... and Ravens coach John Harbaugh and staff seem to agree.
Towards the end of camp, Aumavae-Laulu received first-team reps at left guard as Baltimore looks to replace Ben Powers, who signed with Denver Broncos in free agency.
The Ravens have several names in consideration to fill the void left by Powers, with Harbaugh rattling off Patrick Mekari, Ben Cleveland, John Simpson and offensive tackle Daniel Faalele as possible candidates.
And yet, Aumavae-Laulu, the No. 199 overall pick in April's draft, has put himself firmly in contention for the starting job entering camp - just ask Harbaugh.
"He has done a great job, and he's in the mix right now," Harbaugh said. "You saw him with the first team - we wanted to get a look with him in the first team and see how it looked with him in there."
Harbaugh added that it's relatively uncommon for teams to do this, but he has staff want to see how the operation unfolds with various options in the rotation.
After all, depth is challenged each year in the NFL, and getting more reps together can only help camaraderie ... but with a position battle at hand, there's added attention on performance during those reps - and thus far, Aumavae-Laulu has delivered, regardless of his grouping.
"If they start doing a good job with the second group or the third group, and you feel like they are up to it, I want to see how that fits," Harbaugh said. "It looked like it fit well."
Aumavae-Laulu only played on the right side of the offensive line in college, largely at tackle - but he's been thrown into the fold at left guard early in Baltimore while acclimating to life at the sport's highest level.
And through it all, Aumavae-Laulu has fit right in ...and may find himself outplaying his draft slot sooner rather than later.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter at @DFlickDraft
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