Never underestimate the Baltimore Ravens and their ability to find players the NFL draft. That stays true in the late rounds and for undrafted rookies.
Priest Holmes, Bart Scott, Zachary Orr, Michael Pierce, Kamar Aiken, Justin Tucker, Dannell Ellerbe. Those are all former undrafted free agents that the Ravens picked up. All of those names had/are having extremely successful careers in the league. Ozzie Newsome is one of the best general managers in the league at finding those gems, and hopefully he can find a few in this class. Let’s take a look at some of the players that are being looked over, but could make an impact on a roster.
Offense:
Austin Proehl, WR, North Carolina; 5’10”, 175 lbs
Strengths: Good hands; Very quick
Weaknesses: Small frame; not a great athlete
Proehl is one of those small guys that can get on a defense’s nerves. He’s annoying because he isn’t the best athlete, but he will produce all day. You will find yourself yelling at the TV for your team to cover him, but he will just keep getting open. He runs quality routes and has excellent hands. You might remember his dad, Ricky, who was a two-time super bowl winner and had a long career in the league. Proehl could be a Wes Welker-type receiver next year, another former undrafted free agent.
Kalen Ballage, RB, Arizona State; 6’3″, 230 lbs
Strengths: Huge body; Bruiser; Excellent receiver
Weaknesses: Agility
This guy is absolutely huge. Ballage is a physical freak and was used well for Arizona State the past couple of years. He is so versatile and I would love the Ravens to pick this guy up. You can use him at running back on the goal line, he is big and skilled enough to play fullback, and he catches the ball so well that you can put him at receiver with ease. The sky is the limit for this guy, and it is amazing he is projected as a UDFA.
Defense
Andre Smith, ILB, North Carolina; 6’1″, 240 lbs
Strengths: Good open-field tackler
Weaknesses: Injury
Another North Carolina product, Smith didn’t play his senior because he messed his knee up. He won’t be able to participate in the combine and that is why he will almost undoubtedly go undrafted. However, if he does get healthy he could be a great contributor to the team. Baltimore will almost certainly be in the market for an upgrade at linebacker alongside C.J. Mosley. Smith, at the least, could be a quality special teams player.
Da’Shawn Hand, DE, Alabama; 6’4″, 275 lbs
Strengths: Great Size; Run defense
Weaknesses: Pass rush
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, Ozzie Newsome drafting an Alabama player. However, this one would be worth the flier. I imagine you have to take him in the 7th round because Hand’s talent is there and you want to be sure you get a chance. Hand is a former top 10 recruit that never lived up to his billing but he was behind players like Jonathan Allen and Ryan Anderson who were drafted in the first and third rounds, respectively.
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He finally got his opportunity to be the guy this year but suffered an injury to his knee mid-year that knocked him out for three games and hampered him for the rest of the regular season. During the playoffs, you got a look at how special he can be when healthy and given the chance. He sets the edge very well and is great at stopping the run. At 275 pounds, Hand is a load and would fit well if the Ravens let Brent Urban walk. He might take some time to develop, but his talent is definitely worth taking the chance on.