The Baltimore Ravens secured an impressive 11-player rookie class during the 2022 draft. They drafted for both best player available and for need, which left them with plenty of talent on all three sides of the ball.
When predicting the most surprising star for each NFL team for the 2022 season, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report named tight end Isaiah Likely as his choice for Baltimore. When explaining why, he discussed how Likely has been a standout throughout the offseason, and the presence of fellow tight end Mark Andrews will help ease any potential learning curve for the rookie.
“Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic noted the tight end is, “the closest thing” the Ravens have to a third option in the passing game. There’s plenty of opportunity there as Lamar Jackson still doesn’t have a new contract and could be looking to show he’s capable of putting up MVP numbers again…Tight ends typically have a steep learning curve in the league because they not only have to learn how to get open and run an NFL route tree, but they also have to block. However, Mark Andrews’ presence is going to cut Likely’s responsibilities in half…Expect him to play more of a big-slot role and be the most productive rookie from the fourth round.”