Baltimore Ravens: Minicamp is Over, Young Guys Look Good

Nov 2, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Lorenzo Taliaferro (34) runs the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter of the game at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens’ minicamp is over. Rookies will not return until July 22, while veterans will return a week later before training camp officially begins. Multiple storylines have developed during the past three days and here are some quick looks at a few of them.

In previous articles, I briefly mentioned minicamp would allow contact, but the practices followed rules set by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) follow the non-contact rule OTAs had. With this correction, multiple players praised Matt Elam about his minicamp, but the biggest concern about his gameplay cannot be evaluated until training camp.

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Young Receivers

Wide receivers’ coach Bobby Engram dismissed the drops the wideouts had during practice. He said if you went through the tape of any receiver, you would find drops.

Overall, he was very impressed with the wide receivers. Breshad Perriman has been doing very well, and Engram said he expects him to continue to build off the success he’s having.

However, Jeremy Butler is standing out from the other receivers. Engram said he had an impressive OTAs and now minicamp. With Michael Campanaro and Aldrick Robinson out, Butler has been taking advantage to make his presence known after being on injured reserve last season.

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He still has a large group of young, talented receivers to compete with when training camp comes around. But he has managed to get the coaches’ attention, so he’s making up for the missed time last year.

Backup for the Running Back

The backup position behind running back Justin Forsett is open, but Lorenzo Taliaferro made noise during minicamp. Offensive coordinator Marc Trestman said he was fast on the field and very “fluid.”

The same could not be said of rookie Buck Allen. Head coach John Harbaugh said they would have to wait to see how he does with pads. It looks for now that Taliaferro may have the upper hand over the rookie and Fitzgerald Toussaint.

He said the majority of the reps are being given to the young players, so they are being given plenty of chances to make their impact.

"“I’m looking for the young guys to step up,” Harbaugh said during the last minicamp press conference."

Injury Report

Harbaugh said tight end Maxx Williams’s practice ended early after he might have injured something. He said he didn’t think it was serious.

Center Jeremy Zuttah practiced on a limited basis, but Rick Wagner did not. The head coach did say both Zuttah and Wagner were on track for training camp. Here is Baltimore Insider Aaron Wilson’s last who practiced and who isn’t tweet.

The young guys are stepping up, so when training camp comes around, the position battles are going to heat up. We have until July to analyze and re-analyze each every one before the players take the field again.

Next: Baltimore Ravens: Offensive Line Reunites during Minicamp