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Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and general manager Eric DeCosta (and Ozzie Newsome before him) are masters of the NFL draft. An average Ravens draft just seems to be smarter and better than any other organization’s. After the first Ravens preseason game, it seems like the franchise’s brain trust may have struck again. Fourth-round pick Isaiah Likely looked like an NFL-ready tight end in his first game, and he could become quite a trio with Lamar Jackson and Mark Andrews.
John Harbaugh and the Ravens may have a mid-round steal in Isaiah Likely
The Baltimore Ravens are one of the best organizations in the NFL in no small part to how well they draft. The GMs — first Ozzie Newsome and now Eric DeCosta — always seem to find their type of players later in the draft. And when they get them to Maryland, John Harbaugh turns these steals into stars.
Just in the last decade, the Ravens have drafted OT Orlando Brown Jr., C Bradley Bozeman, DT Chris Wormley, pass-rushers Matthew Judon, and Za’Darius Smith, FB Kyle Juszczyk, and C Ryan Jensen in the third round or later.
These players are all now stars elsewhere now, but that’s because the Ravens are so confident in their ability to find the next young star in the draft.
One third-round pick who is still with the team is TE Mark Andrews.
The No 86 overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft has become one of the best tight ends in the league. Andrews is a two-time Pro Bowler, and after last season’s 107 catches for 1,361 yards and nine touchdowns, an NFL All-Pro.
Mark Andrews has become Lamar Jackson’s favorite target, leading the team in receptions the last three seasons. Ahead of last season, the Ravens rewarded him with a four-year, $56 million extension.
Jackson and Andrews’ success, combined with wide receiver being the one spot the franchise has struggled to draft the last few years, led to the Ravens taking two more TEs in the 2022 draft.
The Ravens took Iowa State TE Charlie Kolar at pick No. 128 and, 11 picks later, Coastal Carolina’s Isaiah Likely.
In the first Ravens preseason game, Likely already looks like a future star.
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Isaiah Likely ended his first preseason game with four catches for 44 yards. While the numbers aren’t head-turning, two of the catches were.
In the first quarter, Likely started blocking his man before sliding off to be an outlet for the under-pressure Tyler Huntley. He took the ball behind the line of scrimmage and juked a Tennessee Titans linebacker and defensive lineman out of their shoes.
https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1557879713879695371
This isn’t a shock to those familiar with the TE prospect. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Likely was a WR in high school before growing into a tight end body at Coastal Carolina.
In the second quarter, Likely again showed off his wideout skills. This time, he went streaking across the middle of the field, and out-jumper a linebacker draped all over him to pull down a spectacular catch.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1557889171921915904
Isaiah Likely has been so good in Ravens training camp even Mark Andrews and Lamar Jackson are giving him the highest praise possible. ESPN Ravens beat reporter Jamison Hensley reported on Twitter that Jackson calls Likely “baby Mark” and the real Mark Andrews says of the rookie, “He's got a little bit of me in him, for sure.”
The Ravens preseason still has a ways to go and the season after that is even longer. No fans should get completely hyped over a rookie after just one game. That said, with John Harbaugh and the Ravens' track record, it’s hard not to think that Isaiah Likely is the next great Ravens draft day steal.
