Baltimore’s fourth-round rookie is already in line for a key Ravens role.
Keeping up with college football seems a much more daunting task than it once was. Heaven help the Baltimore Ravens‘ scouting department. The Big 10 has 18 teams. The Big 12 features 16. West Coast schools like the Stanford Cardinal and California Golden Bears now play in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
So, it may sound strange to say this, but one of Cal’s standouts, Teddye Buchanan, earned First-Team All-ACC honors during his final season in Berkeley. Hopefully, that made for an easy transition from The Golden State to the great city of Baltimore.
New surroundings can sometimes bring challenges. Fortunately, the rookie fourth-rounder seems to be killing it in his first offseason with his new team.
Teddye Buchanan earns a nice mention as a potential difference-maker yet again
It didn’t take long for Teddye Buchanan to hit the ground running. He turned heads quickly as a potential fourth-round draft steal. Soon afterward, he made his intentions known. His sights were set on cracking the Ravens’ starting lineup as a rookie.
Roquan Smith’s spot is locked up, but there’s a chance that Buchanan could catapult himself ahead of Trenton Simpson. Time will tell in that conversation, but in the meantime, we can probably state with confidence that Buchanan is sure to make an impact early.
CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso recently crafted his theory on Day 3 NFL Draft picks in the best situation to succeed.
“A thick, explosive, no-nonsense linebacker on the Ravens. Sounds ideal, doesn’t it? And, as a fourth-round pick, Baltimore won’t have to rely on Buchanan to be the sole playmaker at the second level, as All-Pro Roquan Smith still patrols there. Buchanan will have to battle Trenton Simpson for playing time next to Smith, but the rookie has the advanced skill set to see the field sooner (rather) than later.”
Buchanan is a solid physical downhill player. He could also see playing time early thanks to being great in coverage. Here’s more from Trapasso.
“Buchanan is ready to go on passing downs. He had four pass breakups in 2024 at California. Before that, at UC-Davis, he registered eight picks and 14 pass breakups across three seasons. Former linebacker turned defensive coordinator in Baltimore, Zach Orr, is going to adore this fourth-round selection.”
The rookie’s final season at Cal produced 114 tackles, including a conference-leading 69 assists. He also notched five sacks and two forced fumbles. Joining the second level of Baltimore’s defense alongside some other star talent will most certainly yield some great results.