Ravens Stock Report: 8 up, 4 down after Minicamp

Ravens Stock Report: 8 up, 4 down after Minicamp

Three days of practices gave insight into which Ravens are heading into minicamp on the right foot. Of course, workouts in June won’t mean as much as the six weeks of training camp in the future, but the final impressions left before training camp could mean extra snaps—and opportunities— once the real grind begins.

Stock Up

Arthur Maulet — Cornerback

A forced fumble, fumble recovery, interception on Lamar Jackson, three pass breakups and a would-be sack from a slot blitz in three days is one way to show the coaching staff Maulet shouldn’t be on the sideline. As he walked off the field on the final day he told me he’s “coming for it all this season.” Maulet signed a two-year, $4 million deal this offseason and has since become more determined. He spent his time this offseason working with private trainers both in the weight room and on-field workouts. Maulet’s role is expected to be nickel, where safety Kyle Hamilton roams in three-safety looks, but Maulet’s impact could be enough to have Hamilton finds somewhere else to make his signature impact if this keeps up, and there’s little reason to believe it won’t.

Andrew Vorhees, Left guard

The majority of reps for Vorhees were taken between left tackle Ronnie Stanley and center Tyler Linderbaum. He looks to be the favorite for winning the starting left guard role and it’s hard to imagine anyone on the current roster usurping him. All that book-work and weightlifting the past season had him primed for when he’d finally get on the field and it’s translated into him fitting in and knowing where to be.

Charlie Kolar, Tight end

Coming into camp in visible better shape was a good start for Kolar. Him demonstrating it wasn’t just eye-candy by running up the seam and creating separation for frequent receptions on all days showed he could be seeing more reps in the season to come. It won’t be easy, what with Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely both domineering snaps and being a head above him, but Kolar looked good over the course of minicamp.

Nate Wiggins, Cornerback

It’s almost tough to put Wiggins here due to high expectations already placed upon the first-rounder. But, after a solid few weeks of OTAs and another three days of minicamp, Wiggins is doing things right. He’s not been the subject of any highlight plays. If anything, he hasn’t been tested enough or thrown toward enough to judge his ball skills. But a cornerback who is not being thrown toward is a good cornerback and I’ll give the benefit of the doubt on the cornerback every player has heralded for his speed and smarts.

Travis Jones, Defensive tackle

The third-year defensive tackle generated a few pressures in minicamp. He clogged up lanes in run game work. Jones saw his snap count increase from 35-39% last season and it’s fair to assume he could crack 40% in 2024 if he continues on his current trajectory.

Trenton Simpson, Inside linebacker

Frequently, Simpson was around the ball. He made plays in the run game, in coverage and you knew when he did a great job because inside linebacker Roquan Smith shouted his name and celebrated a successfully executed play. The Ravens drafted Simpson with the expectation he’d take over as the No. 2 linebacker. He’s done so this offseason and he’ll head into training camp prepared for the next step in his young career.

Tylan Wallace, Wide receiver

I named Wallace in my post-OTAs stock report, saying he’s been adequate, but I see he has more potential and I hope he delivers. I’d say he did so in minicamp catching a touchdown pass from Jackson in a simulated one-minute, down by five drive. He was consistently involved in 11-on-11 in the second half of each practice and looked good for the most part. A few drops in three days dropped him from the top of my stock up list, but he’s still a rising candidate and put himself in good position for training camp.

Ronnie Stanley, Left tackle

Give the veteran credit for showing up to all of OTAs and putting the work in. Credit for staying on the field post-practice to go over extra things with teammate Patrick Mekari. For knowing they have a few spots open on the line and being in attendance to work together and build the infrastructure for the pending season. Give him credit for looking good over the past month. And, give him credit for being open about injuries last season and how it ended.

“It was killing me. We may have been playing well, but it was really killing me on the inside just knowing that I wasn’t playing to my potential,” Stanley said. “That’s something that is harder for me to live with. But, moving on from last year, I feel very good about this upcoming season.”

Stock Down

Marlon Humphrey, Cornerback

It’s unclear what is hampering Humphrey this offseason. He was in and out of OTAs. When Head Coach John Harbaugh was asked if he’d participate in minicamp, Harbaugh said he “expects [Humphrey] to be ready to practice next week.” He was a full participant on the first day of minicamp. Then, he was absent the final two.

After minicamp’s final practice, Harbaugh was again asked about Humphrey.

“Just nagging things. He should be ready for training camp,” Harbaugh said. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”

Humphrey isn’t on this list because he’s lost it. It’s just been a befuddling few weeks following Humphrey’s situation with no clarity. The hope is he’ll be on the field come training camp and this is a moot point.

David Ojabo, Outside linebacker

Not much has changed on the Ojabo front over the past three days. He worked in individual drills and didn’t participate in team activities, the same as OTAs. But the longer he’s absent, the fewer reps he gets, and it’s a concern as he heads into a crucial third season. Ojabo had potential akin to fellow 2022 draft picks Kyle Hamilton and Tyler Linderbaum. The playmaking potential of Ojabo was visible. But after the torn Achilles and ACL injury, can he get back to that level?

Malik Hamm, Outside linebacker

I haven’t seen much impact from Hamm over the past few weeks. It could be he’s doing excellent work on the second field and I’m on the near side watching more of the starting and second units. It could be I missed a play watching elsewhere. But it’s a tough season to fit a lot of players on this roster and he’ll need more when training camp arrives. This is a bit of a “check for Hamm” training camp reminder.

Ben Cleveland, Offensive guard

The Ravens seem to know what they have in Cleveland at this point. And, his lack of involvement in the starting unit over minicamp didn’t give the impression he’s the leading candidate for the starting right guard role. I asked Ravens offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris about Cleveland on Day 2 of camp.

“Here’s what I can tell you. Last year, we played Pittsburgh, and we played the Rams, I think, towards the end, and Ben [Cleveland] played very well,” A’lessandris said. “When Ben’s had his opportunities to start, he’s produced and done well. He’s out here right now working his craft and working his skills. You’ve seen nice progression and improvement, and I’m anxious to see now, when you start training camp, you put the pads on, and we’re going to see if he’ll continue. It has to be earned, right? It’s earned based on play production.”