The Baltimore Ravens made one of the more interesting selections of round seven when they traded into the 2023 NFL draft to select Andrew Vorhees, a guard from USC. Vorhees is interesting because many saw him as a third or fourth-round type of player, but he tore his ACL at the NFL Combine.
If the Ravens let him get healthy for a year they may have the gem of the round. What else should Baltimore Ravens fans know about USC guard Andrew Vorhees?
3. Baltimore Ravens injury concerns go beyond ACL
The main reason that Andrew Vorhees fell to round seven was the ACL tear. The timing was even worse because it almost guarantees that he misses the 2023 season. However, there are questions beyond that. In 2019 he missed the entire season with a left foot injury. In the offseason before the injury, he was coming off a small meniscus tear that required surgery. He also missed time in 2020, and he missed three games in 2022.
So, there is a real chance that he comes in and makes an impact for the Baltimore Ravens, but at the same time there is a chance that he gets injured again, and his career slowly becomes filled with questions.
2. Andrew Vorhees is a five-year starter at USC
Andrew Vorhees is a five-year starter and has been at USC for six seasons, starting in 2017. He was a legitimate prospect, and he started nine games as a true freshman. He started 11 more games as a sophomore and got surgery on his meniscus after that season.
Then, he missed all of 2019, getting a medical redshirt, and got another year of eligibility in 2020. So, after two bumpy seasons, USC moved him to left guard, and he also played left tackle in 2021 before settling into left guard in 2022.
For his career, Andrew Vorhees has 3,491 snaps played at USC. He played 402 at left tackle, 1,634 at left guard, 1,392 at right guard, and 61 at right tackle. The versatility helps, but you also have to wonder if he was so good in 2021 and 2022 because he was at the age where he should have graduated and was playing against younger competition.
1. Andrew Vorhees was much better later into his career
Vorhees played as a true freshman, but he did struggle early into his career. In 2017 and 2018 he had eight sacks allowed and 46 total pressures. Then, he had two sacks and 28 pressures in 2021 and 2022 combined. That is a bit of a difference.
Of course, some of that has to do with him being more physically mature, but he did go through some injury issues himself and had to get himself back to that level of play. After his injury in 2019, the team had to find a spot for him to play in 2020 and 2021. Then, in 2022 he found a home, stuck in it, and played his best. It will be interesting to see if he sticks at left guard, but it may be a while until we see that.