Expectations High for Ravens DT Justin Madubuike
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Entering his third year, Ravens defensive tackle Justin Madubuike is more confident and quicker to the ball.
The key for Madubuike this season is to help boost the Ravens' interior pass rush and dominate the opposition's running attack.
“Really expect him to take off, he and I talked about it,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We expect him to take it to another level. That’s what he has practiced to do. I think he wants to be more consistent against the run, even though he played the run well last year. But he wants to start disrupting passes, a few batted balls, a few sacks. He is very determined. He looks good.”
The Ravens selected Madubuike in the third round of the 2020 draft from Texas A&M.
As a rookie, he had 19 tackles (11 solo), 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 quarterback hits in 10 games (three starts).
Last year, Madubuike started 11 of 15 games last season and finished with 36 tackles and a pair of sacks.
This offseason, Madubuike spent time working out with Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, a Super-Bowl champion and three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
“I was up in Pittsburgh, yes. I was doing some footwork with him," Madubuike said. "He’s cool and [he’s] a great guy. I definitely just want to be around that energy to be great and just to learn from people who are great, too."
Madubuike is looking to add a Super Bowl to his resume', just like his mentor, Donald.
“It just reiterates to me just the hard work aspect," Madubuike said. "Just being able to work hard, it’s a day-to-day process. It’s not easy, but if it was easy, everybody would do it. So, you have to put yourself in that mental aspect and attack it. That’s what I learned from him.”
