Daelin Hayes was very impressive during Ravens minicamp

The Baltimore Ravens were excited to see the progress of now-second-year outside linebacker Daelin Hayes last season. The hope was that Hayes could work his way into the pass-rush rotation and become a regular part of the defense by the end of the year.

Unfortunately, that never came to be as injuries prevented Hayes from making any sort of an impact in his rookie season. That could change going into year two, however.

Hayes was reportedly one of the standouts from minicamp with the former Notre Dame star doing his best to make a strong second impression.

The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec recently reported that Hayes “was one of the most noticeable and effective players on the field during the offseason practices.”

Of course, it’s always difficult to gauge trench play during spring workouts. There’s minimal contact and the drills consist of what is essentially glorified flag football.

Still, it’s encouraging to see Hayes making this sort of an impression on the coaching staff.

"“Just like last year, Hayes was one of the most noticeable and effective players on the field during the offseason practices. He looked explosive and showed a nice array of moves off the edge, proving a consistent challenge for the Ravens’ offensive tackles.”"

Daelin Hayes could emerge as a regular contributor in the Ravens’ defense

A fifth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Hayes made some waves last summer and the hope was that he could make a sizable impact in his rookie year. However, an ankle injury sidelined him for essentially the entirety of his first NFL campaign.

Hayes suffered a significant ankle injury in the Ravens’ Week 3 victory over the Detroit Lions. After playing just four defensive snaps, Hayes landed on the injured reserve and wouldn’t appear in another game.

The hope is that Hayes could return healthy and motivated in 2022, and the Ravens might need him to.

Baltimore is rather thin at outside linebacker with both Tyus Bowser and Odafe Oweh recovering from offseason surgeries, not to mention rookie David Ojabo who tore his Achilles back in April.

The Ravens are looking toward Hayes to potentially earn some playing time this season. He’ll be competing with the likes of Jaylon Ferguson, Steven Means, and Vince Biegel while the team could also look to re-sign Justin Houston or make another external addition.

Either way, there’s an opening for Daelin Hayes to earn a role on defense this season. More performances like this will certainly go a long way.