Bold Training Camp Predictions for Three Ravens Draft Picks

As part of The Baltimore Banner’s Ravens training camp preview, Jonas Shaffer, Giana Han, and Kyle Goon each made a bold camp prediction. All of their predictions involved members of this year’s draft class.

Shaffer: Rookie Elijah Sarratt overtakes Devontez Walker for the WR3 job.

“Sarratt emerged as an unlikely star at James Madison and then Indiana under coach Curt Cignetti, whose demands on his offensive players are not unlike [Offensive Coordinator] Declan Doyle’s: Be accountable, be explosive and be a nuisance as a blocker. Sarratt doesn’t have elite athletic traits, but the fourth-round pick’s route-running savvy in college helped him separate, especially in the red zone. (He had a Football Bowl Subdivision-best 15 touchdowns total last season.) And at his listed 215 pounds, Sarratt could give the Ravens some size as a run-blocking wide receiver in the slot.”

Han: RB Adam Randall is going to develop into a key player.

“Randall has the physique of a freak athlete. He obviously knows how to catch and run routes, since he entered Clemson as a wide receiver. Now, he knows how to get downhill, too, from his season as a running back. And he’s clearly coachable, if Dabo Swinney tasked him with switching positions late in his college career. So he could continue to grow as both a runner and blocker. Doyle seems creative, and Randall seems like a guy who would make a creative coordinator start drawing up possibilities.”

Goon: By the end of camp, CB Chandler Rivers will be higher on the depth chart than most of his veteran competition.

“If you watch Rivers’ college tape, it’s simply dynamite. He’s just 5 feet 9, but he’s always around the ball, breaking up passes or grabbing turnovers. It’s hard to teach the kind of instincts Rivers has shown in the past: He had 29 career passes defended at Duke, as well as 16 career tackles for loss despite his smaller size. While Bilhal Kone and T.J. Tampa may be more coveted for their special teams contributions, and Chidobe Awuzie has veteran savvy, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Rivers push for a lot of time at nickel or even on the outside. Jesse Minter and [Defensive Coordinator] Anthony Weaver love guys who can get their hands on the ball, and if Rivers can flash that in camp, it will be hard to keep him off the field.