ExtremeRavens Posted August 2 Posted August 2 Southern California offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Josh Henson distinctly remembers when he saw offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees unlock another level of his ability. Four games into the Trojans’ 2022 season, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound left guard made a handful of blocks in which he put a Fresno State defender on his back or drove him off the ball. One of those instances came against then-Bulldogs freshman Gavriel Lightfoot, with Voorhees bulldozing the 6-3 296-pound defensive tackle 2 yards deep into the end zone from the 4-yard line to clear a path as wide as the Panama Canal for running back Austin Jones and an easy touchdown. As Henson told The Baltimore Sun, that’s when Vorhees went from “blocking people to moving them.” A little more than a year removed from a torn ACL suffered during the NFL scouting combine, Vorhees is back to doing just that, albeit against much bigger and better competition. While the Pac-12 had, by the 25-year-old’s admission, a reputation for smaller defensive linemen, Ravens nose tackle Michael Pierce (6 feet, 355 pounds) and defensive tackle Travis Jones (6-4, 338) are the antithesis of easy to push around. Yet, through the first two weeks of his first training camp, Vorhees has acquitted himself well against them and others, so much so that he appears to be the front-runner for the starting left guard job — something that can’t yet be said for others competing for the vacant right guard and right tackle spots. “It’s been a joy,” Pierce said of going against the offensive line. “Vorhees is going to be really good.” Praise during the summer is often tossed around with the ease of a Lamar Jackson pass, but much less so for a young player trying to land a starting role. That hasn’t been the case with Vorhees, though. “I’m very impressed with how fast he’s learning things, how fast he’s getting up to the speed of the game [and] how good of a shape he’s in,” left tackle Ronnie Stanley said. “Everything is moving really fast for him, but he’s also adjusting really fast, and he’s getting better and better every day.” Added veteran offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris: “Andrew is doing a great job — he’s doing a great job. … I’m very pleased [with] what I see with him right now.” That isn’t to say Vorhees hasn’t struggled on occasion, including Thursday when Jones ate him up on one particular pass rush, though Harbaugh was quick to point out that Vorhees made “numerous other good plays.” That he’s even in the conversation for the starting job is as much providence as it is a testament to his ability and toughness. The road back for Ravens guard Andrew Vorhees, middle, was arduous. (Kim Hairston/Staff) Just over a year ago, Vorhees was projected to be a mid-round draft pick. Then he tore his ACL during drills at the scouting combine. The injury caused his draft stock to plummet, but he became something of a legend when he asked doctors if he could still participate in the bench press, then ripped off 38 reps at 225 pounds for the highest total of any player invited to Indianapolis. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta liked what he saw in Vorhees long before then, so with Baltimore having already exhausted all of its 2023 draft picks, he traded a 2024 sixth-rounder to the Cleveland Browns for their 2023 seventh-rounder and selected the former All-American. “We are getting a tough and physical competitor who is polished and experienced,” DeCosta said at the time. “We have every expectation that he will be playing winning football for us in 2024, and this is a move that really solidified our line for the coming years.” Still, the road back for Vorhees was arduous. The ACL tear was “clean” but the process of recovering from a full reconstruction was, in Vorhees’ words, “tedious” and “long.” He spent the year rehabilitating at the Ravens’ facility, attending meetings, soaking up the playbook and leaning on veteran players such as former guard Kevin Zeitler. In the little downtime he had, he and his wife Samantha, both native Southern Californians, explored the East Coast, from historical sites to going on what they called “food tours” at various restaurants. But it was also difficult to be away from playing football as long as he was. “It has been a long time since I put pads on,” Vorhees said. “It had been a long time since I hit somebody.” That of course changed with training camp, and so far he’s handled himself with aplomb of a more seasoned player. Harbaugh said that he’s letting the open spots on the offensive line “play out,” but ideally would like to have those positions determined by the second or third week of camp. In the meantime, Vorhees continues to get first-team reps at left guard and will try to hold his own against a defensive front that in addition to its braun is one of the more talented ones in the NFL, a challenge he relishes. “They’re both big boys, they’re great athletes and they could really move and they’re really strong,” he said of Pierce and Jones. “They’re up there if not the strongest people that I’ve ever had to compete against.” More telling, however, will be when the Ravens start playing preseason games, the first of which will be against the Philadelphia Eagles next Friday at M&T Bank Stadium. “Anytime you have an opportunity to go out there and play football and they’re keeping score, it’s important,” Vorhees said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re on the Mighty Mites or any level of football. I’m just looking forward to get out there and compete against somebody who’s not a teammate.” The Ravens are, too. View the full article Quote
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