oldno82

Agree. Hopefully the vets help keep him clean too.

Came across this article from the Sun: " By Brian Wacker PUBLISHED: May 3, 2026 at 6:30 AM EDT Shouts from coaches collided with play calls and corrections, echoing across the Ravens’ practice field Saturday afternoon in Owings Mills. It was only the second day of May and rookie minicamp. It was also just the way new coach Jesse Minter likes it. “You can’t play this game quietly, and you can’t play this game with doubt, and you can’t play this game without knowing what you’re doing,” he said. “I know from a defensive standpoint, we should be the loudest, most crazy, obnoxious, communicative unit in the history of football.” It’s a long way from football that matters, but it was also an important step. The Ravens got their first on-field look at this year’s rookie class, including all 11 draft picks, another 19 undrafted free agents and around 25 tryout invitees, along with some second-year players who did not accrue a full season of service. The NFL limits teams to a maximum of 3 1/2 hours on the field per day during the three-day camp, and 8 hours total per day with players, meetings included. There has been a rise across the league in recent years of nonrostered players — the Kansas City Chiefs had a whopping 76 tryout players at their rookie minicamp — and it’s a chance to audition for a spot on the 90-man roster. Teams, meanwhile, hope to unearth a proverbial diamond in the rough. Only about the first 40 minutes of the final practice were open to reporters, during which players participated in individual drills, special teams and practiced against air. Players also aren’t in pads, and there’s no hitting. Still, there were a few things to be gleaned. Here are five things we learned. Vega Ioane is adapting to right guard Though Ravens first-round draft pick Vega Ioane played the majority of his snaps at left guard for Penn State, he has been getting work at right guard since arriving in Baltimore. The move is not surprising. Veteran John Simpson, who returned to Baltimore on a three-year, $30 million deal after spending the past two seasons with the New York Jets, has been a left guard the bulk of his career. “Out here, it’s definitely a little bit of work to get used to again,” Ioane acknowledged, “but there isn’t much to it.” It helped, of course, that he did get a chunk of snaps at right guard, along with some at center, for the Nittany Lions. Ioane also credited his offensive line coach there, Phil Trautwein, with making sure he was rotating from one side to the other at various points. Ioane should benefit, too, from new Ravens offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, a former center and one of the more respected position coaches in the league, who was hired by Baltimore after the Atlanta Falcons turned over their coaching staff with the hiring of former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski. 1 of 10 Ravens QB Diego Pavia (17) takes part in rookie mini-camp at Under Armour Performance Center. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) Toughest player to block Missouri’s comeback against Southeastern Conference rival Alabama last season came up short, but one player left a notable impression on another. Former Alabama tight end and Ravens fifth-round pick Josh Cuevas said that during the predraft process, several coaches asked him who one of the hardest players he went up against was. The answer: Zion Young. “He has so much potential,” said Cuevas, now a teammate of Young, whom Baltimore selected in the second round. “His ceiling is just tremendously high. He does everything right, and he has a deep bag: spin move, push-pull, bull rush — everything.” Young, the energetic and disruptive edge rusher who joins a group in Baltimore that includes Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson and ascendant second-year outside linebacker Mike Green, put together a strong resume for the Tigers. A rotational player in his two years at Michigan State, he racked up 6 1/2 sacks, 16 1/2 tackles for loss and 57 total pressures at Missouri last season en route to being a first-team All-SEC selection. What kind of impact he will have as a rookie remains to be seen, and Saturday was not revealing, given a lack of action, though his size and energy stood out. His best trait, according to Cuevas? “His willingness to do anything,” he said. “Whatever the coaches put him at, he’s pretty mobile. His lateral speed is pretty good. So, line him up against the tight end or the tackle, and he’s going to get around him.” He’ll be worth watching this summer during training camp. Tight end’s biggest takeaway With the departure of tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar in free agency, along with fullback/tight end Patrick Ricard, the Ravens were bare at the position going into the draft. Only veteran Mark Andrews remained, and unsurprisingly, they selected two tight ends, Matt Hibner out of SMU in Round 4 and Cuevas in Round 5. One or both will be expected to have a role in their first season. So what was Cuevas’ biggest takeaway from his first week in the league? “Definitely the level of detail going from college to the NFL,” he said. “There’s a lot more emphasis on the detail of every single route, every single run. They really want to make you know the ‘why’ of why we’re running this play, and why it works, or why it doesn’t. It’s mainly about the details.” How the details of their roles shake out will come later. But given Hibner’s athleticism (4.57-second 40-yard dash time; 37-inch vertical jump), it’s possible he will fill Likely’s role as a pass catcher, while the 251-pound Hibner is perhaps more of a block-first, catch-second option, similar to Kolar. “They’re kind of using both of us everywhere, a little bit in line, a little bit spread out,” Cuevas said. Cuevas also showed some personality while sharing an anecdote about Ravens executive vice president Ozzie Newsome, a Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end and Alabama alum. “After practice yesterday, he kind of came up to me just saying, ‘Roll Tide, man. [I am] so happy you’re here,’” he said. “I was kind of starstruck when he got on the phone with me [during the draft], because I mean, all we talk about at Alabama in the tight end room is really kind of like the legends that walk through there and the standard we need to uphold. “So, when I met him yesterday, I was … I mean, you know how you’re usually supposed to go [shake hands] with one hand? That’s more professional. I was like [demonstrates shaking hands with both arms], I’m trying to — ‘Hold onto my hand longer, please.’ … It was great meeting him and just kind of seeing a legend in front of my face.” This player was ‘shocked’ to get a call from owner Steve Bisciotti Adam Randall’s eyebrows popped up, his eyes widened as his head tilted back, and a smile broke out. The surprise and elation washed over the Clemson running back’s face when Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti called him during the fifth round of the NFL draft to tell him that Baltimore would be using the 174th overall pick on him, marking the first time Bisciotti has selected and called a player to tell him the news. A week later, it still felt surreal. “That was pretty incredible,” Randall said. “It was definitely a shock.” Ravens running backs Adam Randall, left, and Dontae McMillan take part in rookie minicamp. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff) The 6-foot-3, 232-pound wide receiver-turned-running back is also an intriguing player. At the NFL scouting combine, Randall’s athletic score ranked sixth among all running backs. According to Dabo Swinney, Bisciotti also hired a SEAL Team Six member to conduct due diligence on 275 players, and the operator ranked him third among the group in mental makeup and character, the Clemson coach told “The Ryan Ripken Show.” In his only season as a running back last year, Randall rushed for 814 yards and 10 touchdowns — both team highs — while adding 254 receiving yards and three more scores. There’s a long way to go, and his skills as a running back are raw, but his size and speed could lead to contributing right away, particularly on special teams as a potential kick returner. “I’m just going to be a sponge and a fly on the wall in that meeting room, and I’ll take everything that I can and apply it to my game,” Randall said. “With Derrick Henry having a taller stature like I am, I’m just going to continue to learn how to work on my pad level and shorten up my strides, just to continue to be a better running back.” Jesse Minter’s first rookie minicamp Minter stood in the middle of the field, arms crossed and watchful, as defensive players went through various drills. As the former defensive coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers, it was a familiar position. Now a head coach for the first time, however, he eventually wandered from one group to another, including offense and special teams. “I try to certainly have my hands in the defense, but at the same time, make sure that the offense knows what I’m trying to be about, what we’re trying to be about,” he said. “I think I have to set an example of that by how I operate out here. So, I am just trying to be present with all three phases and go from there. “But two days in, good start.” Like the players he was coaching in rookie minicamp, all of it is new to him, too. He doesn’t seem too fazed. “We had the voluntary minicamp with our returning players; now we have this,” he said. “It really gives us an edge going into OTAs to have those four or five practices of working together, kind of feeling out how I operate on the field, feeling how each other operate, knowing the drills that we like to do, the tempo that we like to do things at. And so just the more you work together and do things like that, the better it becomes.” Up next: Voluntary OTAs in two weeks. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. Facebook X " RevContent Feed Most Popular

Minter sounds pumped up and now so do I. Can't wait until the pads come on with the vets present.

Interesting watching the receivers run the comeback drills...you really don't appreciate all the hard work that practices are until you see them.

I like how he has a nose for the ball. He's good at tracking the ball in the air and also has a high motor. It would be great if he can carry that over into the NFL.

Looks like he's got a strong motor.

Me too!

Yes it's only the first day and the story is from the team website, but still, things are off on a good footing: https://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/ravens-rookie-minicamp-first-impressions-2026

Seems like this is really moving along faster than usual.

I highly doubt they'll have issues with any of the draftees signing. The slotting system has greatly reduced the possibility of rookies holding out. But do they have to have signed before they can practice? I don't think they do but I'm not sure. I don't remember that happening in the past even for later signers.

Always nice to see progress being made. Looking forward to the reports about this weekend's rookie minicamp.

Impressive...good job by Steve.

I can see them kicking the tires on them...how about Njoku?

I was thinking along the same line.

Gee another tsylvester, eh? Well it would be neat to have a jersey with his name on it for you. How about this list of available free agents from Zrebiec...anybody tickle your fancy here: Some of top FAs still available WRs Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings, Stefon Diggs TEs David Njoku, Darren Waller IOL Graham Glasgow, Kevin Zeitler OLB: Jadeveon Clowney, Kyle Van Noy, Joey Bosa, Cam Jordan, Von Miller, Haason Reddick IDL: Calais Campbell, D.J. Reader, Larry Ogunjobi