Ravens Rookie Tiers: With 10 On The Roster, How Much Will They Play?

The Ravens drafted 11 players in the spring, collected what appears to be a robust group of undrafted rookies – and have roughly a 20 percent of their roster comprised of brand new NFL talent.

They needed a healthy influx of new blood with this $390M payroll top heavy with players at the end of the careers or coming back from serious injury or both. They tend to covet their own draft picks, and if you exclude the two they took in the seventh round, the other nine are on this football team in some capacity (running back Adam Randall is not on the active roster but is on Injured Reserve – Designated to Return).

Not surprising, but this is a significant roster deployment for novices when you add in the undrafted rookie quarterback (Joe Fagnano) and undrafted rookie linebacker (Ethan Burke) who defied all odds to make this club. It does put them in an interesting spot at the start of the season, because a majority of these youngsters are going to be in uniform come Week 1.

The reality is not all of these kids had a great camp. Many did not. But the roster was also stacked in certain ways even when the Ravens were carrying 90 players, and it would have taken significant injuries for many of these players not to reach this stage.

Here’s how I would tier my levels of expectations for these 10 kids at this point:

Totally Ready To Go

G Vega Ioane, P Ryan Eckley

Ioane is plug-and-play. He has to be a plug-and-play starting guard and he will be. Do I wish he had played a single snap with veteran center Ethan Pocic in the preseason? Yeah, sure. And a few next to a starting tackle? Yup. But I understand the conservative nature.

Eckley seems to have all the confidence in the world – especially for a punter- and I’m inclined to buy he will be fine and reserve the right to change my mind. Kid can certainly boom the football.

Immediate Path To Impact

WR Ja’Kobi Lane

I don’t think he is going to be playing like 50 snaps, or anything like that. This team is going to run the ball a ton and running it out of 11, and I’m not sure he is a fit for a lot of that out of the gate. I expect a stylized approach here early, and him having to earn more as he goes. But he is also going to play a helluva lot more than most of these other kids and might be most effective in the slot.

Holding My Breath

EDGE Zion Young, TE Josh Cuevas, TE Matthew Hibner

They are going to be active and they are going to have to contribute at least a little right away and it best not be more than a little. I believe these three are still projects at this point and raw projects and less is more. I expect them to be feeling their way through life at the line of scrimmage in the NFL.

There are going to be some ugly moments for all of them and that’s part of process. I anticipate a long learning curve for this group. Young can be hidden behind the deepest DL group we’re seen here in a while. The tight ends might have to sink or swim and hopefully they can doggie paddle.

Are We Sure They’re Playing?

WR Elijah Sarratt, CB Chandler Rivers, Fagnano, Burke

Sarratt didn’t see a ton of action in the exhibitions and the adjustment to an under-center offense hasn’t been natural. The Ravens are so loaded in the secondary that they can really take their time with Rivers. The undrafted kids are here for depth now, and either or both could end up on the practice squad, too.

Now, what comes next is where things get interesting. If the Ravens add a veteran pass catcher or a running back or a linebacker it will certainly displace some of the younger players from the 53-man. Stay tuned. Change is inevitable when it comes to an NFL roster.

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