Getty James Proche scores against USF.
The Baltimore Ravens continue to roll along this offseason in terms of getting their rookie class under contract ahead of the 2020 season.
Joining the fray for the Ravens on Wednesday was defensive lineman Justin Madubuike, offensive lineman Ben Bredeson and wideout James Proche. They join Broderick Washington as members of the team’s rookie class to officially sign their deals with their new team.
The total for the Ravens in terms of signed players now sits at 4, the strongest total in the league to this point.
James Proche Stats
With pick 201 in the 6th round, the team grabbed James Proche out of SMU. Proche has been a phenomenal college prospect, and nothing emphasizes that more than his mere 9 drops in college despite an overwhelming amount of targets.
WR James Proche SMU Career:
457 Targets
9 Drops
Baltimore lands James Proche: The most targeted WR in college football – and for good reason
Proche is a solid player who has piled up 3,949 yards and 39 touchdowns in his college career, and if it’s sure-handed ability the Ravens are looking for, they found the right guy in order to give Jackson a top option who can make plays.
Ben Bredeson Stats
Bredeson himself is a pretty solid guard prospect as well as a multiple time first and second team All-Big Ten player for the Wolverines. In Baltimore, he will help chip in as it relates to a replacement for the retired Marshal Yanda, and might be a good bet to help do just that. Plenty have been thrilled about the fit in the aftermath of the selection being made.
Mel Kiper Grades Ravens Draft
After watching what his hometown Ravens were able to do all weekend long, Kiper came away insanely impressed. In fact, he handed the team an ‘A’ grade for their work of the weekend in a new ESPN Insider piece, nearly the highest total Kiper could give a team’s class.
Why was Kiper so high on the class? For starters, it patched holes and included some players other teams were overlooking that ended up being potential steals for the team.
Here’s a look at what Kiper wrote about why the grade was so high in Baltimore:
“Look at this Ravens roster. Where are the holes? Definitely middle linebacker. Maybe wide receiver. Probably a guard to replace Marshal Yanda. But that’s it. So I liked that the Ravens got an off-ball linebacker at No. 28 whom Lamar Jackson called “Ray Lewis Jr.,” and I liked that they didn’t have to move up to get him. Patrick Queen started only 16 games in his LSU career, but his talent bursts on the tape. He’s a fit as a long-term C.J. Mosley replacement. (By the way: Baltimore has now drafted three linebackers in the first round: Lewis in 1996, Mosley in 2014 and Queen. Those first two were/are pretty good.)
So as you can see, all five of them were at least 20 spots higher on my final Big Board. That’s outstanding value. Baltimore fortified the middle of its defense — it gave up 4.4 yards per carry last season, most in franchise history — got a playmaker to help Jackson in the slot, and picked a tackle with guard experience who could compete to take over for Yanda, along with fourth-round pick Ben Bredeson (143). I’m also a big fan of James Proche (201), a super-productive pass-catcher who could fill a role, and safety Geno Stone (219) could be a special-teams menace as a rookie. Getting him in the seventh round is stellar.
General manager Eric DeCosta had another really strong draft. Expect Baltimore to be a Super Bowl contender again.”
It’s more than possible that is the case given how deep the team already is and how good the class is. Baltimore attacked needs from start to finish, and got great value. For that reason, Kiper is a big fan.
Quickly, the Ravens are working to bring their entire class into the mix for 2020.