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Baltimore Ravens: Takeaways from final 53-man roster decisions

By Richard Bradshaw

LANDOVER, MD - AUGUST 29: Trace McSorley #7 of the Baltimore Ravens attempts a pass against the Washington Redskins during the first half of a preseason game at FedExField on August 29, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - AUGUST 29: Trace McSorley #7 of the Baltimore Ravens attempts a pass against the Washington Redskins during the first half of a preseason game at FedExField on August 29, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 22: Patrick Mekari #65, Marcus Applefield #62, and Joe Callahan #2 of the Baltimore Ravens walk off the field after play was suspended in the fourth quarter due to severe weather during a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on August 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – AUGUST 22: Patrick Mekari #65, Marcus Applefield #62, and Joe Callahan #2 of the Baltimore Ravens walk off the field after play was suspended in the fourth quarter due to severe weather during a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on August 22, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

Final UDFA decisions:

The Baltimore Ravens underrated rookie free agent pool was a deep and exciting group. At the top of the list was University of Miami (FL.) defensive lineman Gerald Willis III. Notable players joining him included wide receiver Jaylen Smith, offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, linebacker Otaro Alaka, and plenty of others.

The Ravens have always been known as a team to hold on to their UDFAs; more often than not with a success rate not commonly seen across the rest of the league. Some of their best players in franchise history have been UDFA, i.e. Bart Scott and Michael Pierce.

This year, with a deep pool of talent to choose from it was an exciting process to watch and see who’d make the final roster. The decisions were offensive lineman Patrick Mekari and linebacker Otaro Alaka. Despite Willis’ hype, he didn’t standout enough to prove he belonged with the big-boys, although he’s a prime candidate for the practice squad.

The rest of the group still has a chance to stick around in the league. Baltimore once again found themselves a talented group of UDFAs and there’s hope that they will retain a few of their own cuts.

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