Ravens Gems Found At Senior Bowl

Posted Jan 18, 2014

Ryan MinkBaltimoreRavens.com Staff Writer@Ravens All Ryan Mink Articles



Baltimore has a history of discovering talent in Mobile, Ala. This will be a busy year.



When fullback Kyle Juszczyk stepped out for his first practice in Mobile, Ala., few scouts probably knew how to pronounce his name.

The small-school prospect out of Harvard (hardly a football powerhouse) started to make a name for himself at the Senior Bowl.

About three months later, the Baltimore Ravens selected Juszczyk in the fourth round of the NFL draft. He was Harvard’s first draft pick since 2005.

Juszczyk isn’t the only prospect the Ravens have become keen on at the Senior Bowl, which kicks off practices Monday and runs throughout the week until Saturday’s North vs. South game.

The Ravens also saw defensive tackle Brandon Williams (third round), outside linebacker John Simon (fourth round), tackle Rick Wagner (sixth round), wide receiver Aaron Mellette (seventh round) and cornerback Marc Anthony (seventh round) at last year’s Senior Bowl.

Outside linebacker and Ravens top draft pick Courtney Upshaw was there in 2012. CornerbackLardarius Webb first stood out to scouts in Mobile in 2009.

This will be a busy year for the Ravens in Alabama considering they have multiple coaching vacancies to fill, as well as their highest draft picks since 2008.

The Ravens will have between 15 and 20 people from their scouting department in Mobile, including General Manager Ozzie Newsome and Assistant General Manager Eric DeCosta, as well as a large chunk of the coaching staff, including Head Coach John Harbaugh.

The Senior Bowl is different from the combine because it’s football practices as opposed to drills. Scouts get to see the players actually compete against each other, and there is some hitting in practices. The Ravens will also interview some players.

It’s also a place where coaches with jobs and without descend and talk. The Ravens, who have coaching openings at running back, secondary and offensive coordinator, will likely be talking to coaches in Alabama.




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