Ravens: 4 standouts from the first padded practice of training camp
By Justin Fried
4. Justin Madubuike, DL, Ravens
It’s always difficult to accurately gauge line play with the absence of pads. That’s why it’s fun to pay close attention to the trenches once the pads come on.
And one player who wasted little time making an impact was defensive lineman Justin Madubuike.
Madubuike dominated one-on-one drills often getting the better of the player he was matched up against. The second-year lineman destroyed both Ben Cleveland and Kevin Zeitler in one-on-one matchups and earned the praise of his teammates after the practice.
Center Bradley Bozeman referred to Madubuike as a “stout dude” and called him one of the hardest players he’s ever had to block.
Bradley Bozeman said Justin Madubuike is “one of the harder people I’ve ever had to move on defense.” pic.twitter.com/9XpBKYDAIB
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) August 3, 2021
The coaching staff is high on Madubuike and they believe that he could be primed for a breakout season in 2021. More performances like this will allow that to happen.
Madubuike had a somewhat quiet rookie campaign finishing with just 19 tackles and a sack in 10 games. Still, it was enough to earn him a 72.1 Pro Football Focus grade which was the highest among all rookie defensive linemen.
The former Texas A&M star has taken important steps as a pass rusher and could be in line for a bigger role this season.
Madubuike is definitely a player to keep an eye on this summer.