ExtremeRavens Posted 17 hours ago Posted 17 hours ago After choosing safety Malaki Starks in the first round and edge rusher Mike Green with their second pick, the Ravens took Emery Jones Jr. with their third-round selection in the NFL draft. Jones, an offensive lineman from LSU, started at right tackle for the Tigers opposite Will Campbell, who the New England Patriots selected at No. 4 overall. The 6-5, 315-pound Jones played every snap last season and nearly all of them over his first two years in college at right tackle. The Ravens view the two-time All-SEC selection as a swing tackle, general manager Eric DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh said Friday night, but they did not dismiss the possibility of him also playing at guard. “He’s got the chance to be a swing backup tackle for us right away,” Harbaugh said. “We’re gonna put him in there at guard and see how he does to get a feel for him.” It’ll be difficult for Jones to start immediately at either tackle position with left tackle Ronnie Stanley and right tackle Roger Rosengarten entrenched on both sides. But offensive tackle depth is difficult to acquire, as the Ravens learned when Stanley spent stretches over the past few years sidelined with injury. The interior is Jones’ easiest path to immediate playing time. DeCosta said Jones worked inside in front of scouts at the Senior Bowl. “I was just really impressed with his competitiveness in practice,” DeCosta said. “A lot of times, some players go down there and they sort of treat it as a fun week. With Emery, the one-on-ones, this guy was fighting and battling in all the competitive periods and really showed a lot of effort, tenacity. It just seemed like watching him, he’s a Ravens type of player.” DeCosta added he considered trading up to secure Jones. “Emery was a guy that we really liked,” the general manager said. “I thought there was a chance to get Emery down there, but it’s a long day. And you start to see linemen go. I’m just glad he was there.” If the Ravens view Jones as a future guard, there’s a potential opening on the left side opposite Daniel Faalele. Patrick Mekari, who started there for much of last season, departed in free agency. Andrew Vorhees could also be in line to start at left guard next season. The Ravens did not immediately make Jones available to the media Friday night through a Zoom or conference call, which the team did for Starks and is standard practice for every team with Day 1 and 2 selections, after also not making Green available to the media earlier in the evening. Green, who posted 17 sacks last season and was considered by many a first-round talent, was accused of sexual assault twice, once in high school and again in college at Virginia. He was dismissed from the team before transferring to Marshall and has denied both allegations. Baltimore is also navigating allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior against kicker Justin Tucker. “We investigated this situation very thoroughly,” DeCosta said. “We felt comfortable taking [Green].” Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons. View the full article Quote
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