The Baltimore Ravens selected 10 players in the 2020 NFL Draft. With how talented and deep Baltimore’s roster already was, it was expected few of the rookies would actually see the field early for the Ravens, much less make an immediate impact. But with Week 1 in the books, it turns out Baltimore might have something special in its 2020 draft class.
Three rookies — guard Tyre Phillips, and linebackers Patrick Queen and Malik Harrison — started the game. While Queen was expected to start, Phillips and Harrison getting the nod over veterans is a bit of a shock. The Ravens have typically gone with the more experienced player in these situations before, including starting James Hurst at right tackle over the clearly better Orlando Brown Jr. in 2018.
But it wasn’t just those three rookies that saw the field a bunch to open the season. In total, seven of Baltimore’s draft picks got playing time in Week 1. Take a look at their snap counts for a better idea of just how much they all played:
| Player | Position | OFF/DEF Snaps | OFF/DEF % | ST Snaps | ST % |
| Patrick Queen | LB | 54 | 74% | 3 | 12% |
| J.K. Dobbins | RB | 23 | 39% | – | – |
| Devin Duvernay | WR | 11 | 19% | 8 | 33% |
| Malik Harrison | LB | 21 | 29% | 15 | 62% |
| Tyre Phillips | G | 56 | 95% | – | – |
| Broderick Washington Jr. | DT | 28 | 38% | – | – |
| James Proche | WR | 5 | 8% | 4 | 17% |
Those are pretty impressive totals for a team that typically likes to start their rookies off slow and let them earn more playing time over the course of the season.
And with the spotlight firmly on them, they performed incredibly well. While no rookie had a perfect outing, which would be ridiculous to expect, there weren’t any massive mistakes either. And for quite a few of the rookies, they announced their presence in the NFL with big plays.
Queen showcased his speed on a blitz, knifing into the backfield and taking down Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. In total, Queen led the team with eight tackles, had a sack, a quarterback hit, a tackle for a loss, and a forced fumble.
Dobbins was expected to eventually be the heir to starter Mark Ingram but he made his debut one to remember. He showed some speed and power on his seven carries, even if he only gained 22 yards on the day. But Dobbins had a nose for the end zone, finding it twice on the ground, including one run where he showed great patience running behind an offensive lineman.
Harrison had four combined tackles and a pass defensed. Washington had one tackle assist but helped plug up the rushing lanes to keep Cleveland’s running backs contained. Duvernay caught his lone target for 12 yards, picking up a key first down early in the game and had a great kickoff return to set up a scoring drive.
Proche was the only player with a truly noticeable mistake. He was a little too cautious on a punt return, allowing the ball to hit the ground and roll to the goal line. It looked like he had enough time to call for a fair catch and secure the ball, which would have gone a long way to helping the offense on the drive. Even still, Proche had a solid punt return for 17 yards at another point in the game and showed the speed and agility to be a dangerous weapon there.
It might be a bit much to expect this level of performance from the rookies every week but they certainly showed they have a place on the field and in the NFL. When added to a roster that was already considered a favorite to win Super Bowl LV, the future looks really strong in Baltimore.
[vertical-gallery id=52802]