Welcome into the Ravens Press Pass podcast. The twenty twenty five NFL Draft is complete for the Ravens. They made eleven picks over the course of three days. Let's run through the list. The first round, they took safety Malachi Starks. They follow that up with outside linebacker Mike Green in the second round and offensive tackle Emery Jones in the third.
On Day three, the Ravens took linebacker Teddy Buchanan from cal then offensive tackle Carson Vincent from Alabama A and M. In the sixth round, they took cornerback balal Kone from Western Michigan. They then took kicker Tyler Loop from Arizona, wide receiver Lejohntay Wester from Colorado, defensive lineman and Unice Peebles from Virginia Tech, cornerback Robert Longerbeam from Rutgers, and finally they took offensive lineman most likely a guard, Garrett
Dellinger out of LSU. After the draft, we got a chance to hear from general manager Eric Tacosta and head coach John Harbaugh.
It was a long day, a couple of days, but today was a long day. Happy the way that it transpired, I think we added some really interesting, good developmental players, some guys that can come in and help us right away, and some guys that like looking out. You know, I think we'll be looking back and saying, hey, these guys really helped our team. So just quickly, some quick things on these guys. Buchanan was a guy that I did late in the process. The coaches and scouts like them.
I saw a guy that played very hard, very gifted mover, explosive, excellent coverage linebacker. Should translate well to special teams. I think he's a really polished, tough, tenacious guy. Carson Vincent coach warhop one of his favorite prospects. A small school guy, a tremendous size and strength. I can tell you he came into my office last week. He visited last week and almost broke my hand and then he tried to shake my hand and just leave my office, and I
just looked at him said I'm good. But he's just a big, strong, physical athletic player. I think coach Warhawp's excited to work with him. B K from Western Michigan, as he likes to be known, tall, long corner. I think he runs really well, good ball skills. I think he can, you know, get stronger, but I think he's got really good coverage ability. Think he's a guy that can play from off and play from press, good developmental corner with the size that we look for and the speed that we look for.
Tyler Loop, the kicker.
We told you guys that we would consider drafting a kicker if the right one was there, and this was a guy that you know, for the last I don't know, three weeks, Randy Brown, our kicking coach, has been out canvassing the country looking at kickers and evaluating guys, and I gotta be honest, it was kind of nice having him out of the office for an extended period of time. Oh no, just a joke, But I think Randy does
a phenomenal job evaluating these kickers. And he came back and he said, really, hey, Eric, there's one guy that I really covert and it's Loop. And so, you know, I think for us, we've kind of felt like we had to draft him and it was just a matter of getting the right spot and kind of working the picks and kind of come up with the right combination. And we think he's got a really strong leg and He's got a lot of potential. I think Wester is a guy that you know, what stands out about him
is really his returnability. If you watch him, I think he's a twitchy, explosive punt returner. I think, you know, last year, it became evident that we could probably get better there at that position. I feel like last year's probably I didn't do a good enough job making sure that we had a good punt return around the team. We had some guys, but we couldn't get the right mix, the right guy to really do it. And we think Wester has a chance to really come in here and
be an impact punk returner for us. So excited about him. Ania's peoples is coach Arbot one of his guys. He loved his tape. We loved his explosion and he's a little undersized, but he's a twitchy, disruptive player who can
rush the passer, who plays hard. I think he's got a really, really good skill set for us as a third down sub rusher who runs to the football and can make some plays that way longer beam I think another corner as I was looking at it, you know, the last couple of weeks for me, the two guys that were most intriguing corner wise well with BK and Longer Beam. And you know, I think we were kind of going back and forth because they were so close
and both so talented in different ways. And I think our goal was to get one of those two guys. And as we got to the end of the draft, Longer Beam was still there. It was like a no brainer for us to take him. He's just a really really quick footed, good corner who can play off coverage. He supports the run, he plays bigger than his size, and he's got tremendous speed. You know, one thing we know here in Baltimore is you can never have enough corners.
We think now we have a really really good mix of veteran corners and also younger developmental guys too who can help us get better. And then the final guy is Garrett Dellinger, another offensive lineman from LSU. We watched him this year at the Senior Bowl. He's in get the talented athlete, a big, wide body guy, a true guard. He's physical, he's tough. I think he's a smart player. Incidentally, born in the state of Maryland, so that was kind
of cool. A guy that we're excited about. We think he has traits and we like the way he plays questions.
Okay, you know, area, it seemed like it was a very heavy defensive draft.
How you got especially early on. How much do you think you impacted the defense with this rap?
Well, I think, you know, we went into it, you know, thinking maybe that we would allocate some resources to that side of the football. You know, I think it's very cyclical. Some years we spend most of our picks on offense, some years more so on defense. Some years were balanced. You know, I think early on this year we did spend some some picks on defense. I think we got some great football players at important position, you know, uh, guys that can make plays on the football, Guys who
can get to the quarterback. You know, I think that's that's great. And probably the one thing we couldn't do is get that big, wide body type guy. And I think, you know, that's something that will assess and the address after the draft, and you know, we're already starting to talk about that, so we're aware of that. But I think the guys we took can really impact the defense for short and we're excited about him.
Like the back of him nos Te to make up from.
Michael Pearce's a big, you know, first and second down run stuffing type of guy. Probably have a place for a guy like that. We had a couple of guys late that got picked in the late in the draft that we were targeting potentially and and they got picked. But I think we do have some options. Yeah, you know, with street free agents and different things that we will have an opportunity to address that in some way.
The selection of a kicker, I mean, is the expectation that you would, i mean compete with Justin Is the expedition that he would come in and be the kicker?
Is it too early to say with what you're thinking on that.
Yeah, I think he's a really talented player, and I think that you know, right now, they're both on the on the roster, and you know, it was a situation for us where we're just trying to find the best football players. So we're excited to see what he can do. I've actually never met you know, uh Tyler. I'm looking forward to that he'll be here next week, get a chance to see his leg and that will help us address you know, what our decision making is going to be moving forward.
Do you guys get carried outic updates from the d's investigation into Tucker?
And have you gotten any ballpark idea when?
Why do you concluded, you know, June training him?
Yeah, you know, so I'm not a part of that loop, so to speak. Uh, you know, I do get some updates from Sashi periodically. I haven't gotten anything recently, and we're not really under any you know, idea when that timeline is going to be. We're just kind of waiting.
Hearing a fire you do attracting the kicker? How much that what does that do to impact you Justin's roster spot at all?
Now?
I haven't really thought about that at this point. I just thought he was a really talented player, and uh it made sense for us to do that for a lot of different reasons, you know. I mean we've we've told you guys multiple times this spring that we would look at kickers, and so for us, it's like any other position this year. We evaluated all these guys, we felt like he was draftable, we felt like he was the best kicker, and uh it made sense for us to take.
Him any trade.
The decision for you guys to make your move when you did or was it all planned when.
You had Uh, you know, that's a good question, Jerry. I think it certainly. You know, it's it's like this with every position, right, So you have a player that maybe you like, and you know you're certainly aware of runs and we see that all the time, and you know, it's something that we're very attuned to, and that's really
a thing. It's like it's like momentum in sports, right, It's it's there was a run, and so you know, uh, we had sort of targeted if we were going to take this guy, it was going to be somewhere probably in the third day of the draft and probably in one of the latter rounds. But when you see sort of the toothpaste open up, you know, you have to be aware that, hey, this could start a run. And you know we've seen it with other positions. We saw it last year with offensive lineman in the second round.
You know, we saw it a few years ago when we drafted Jordan Stout with punters. So it does happen.
Aware of that.
I wouldn't say it necessarily like, uh, increase the urgency for us necessarily, but it was definitely like Okay, this is the time and we probably have to go ahead and do it.
You close relationship with just and it's see someone you talk to give my heads out that you're playing a drafting kicker.
You think he's been around a long time. When he understands that's right.
Both, you know, I don't think we would have to, but we we had talked to him. He was he was in this week kicking and working out. So we had conversations and he already understood. He knew the situation and you guys knew he had seen all those kind of quotes too, so he knew that was possibility.
Kind of stood out, you know, and you've you've put Hi around a few kickers.
What stood out to you when and looking at what you saw from from Tyler?
Yeah, well yeah, I watch the tape with Randy took me through it. Randy saw him in person. Also, we looked through all the guys and uh, he's good. I mean, he's talented guy. He's he's strong, and he's very consistent with his leg swing. I think he's one of these guys. He's a he's a kicking nerd. Do you like to
see that? I mean he's really into every detail and technique and he studied, Uh he studied justin a lot, you know, and a lot of other guys too, and he studied our operations, so he I know, he's excited too.
He signed Cooper Russia.
You have a veteran backup.
Was there any consideration of drafting a developmental quarterback during this draft?
We did look at that.
We had a few guys that we liked.
We were probably in a situation on a third day when we might have done that, and uh, you know, I can I can tell you one guy got paid that we really did like. We talked about it. I mean, we still think Devan has a chance to develop, and I think he improved over the course of the year. But again, there were some guys we liked, one in particular that we might have taken, but he got picked.
Or can you.
Explain the rationale? Be kind that one trade with the Titans? What was see kind of odd to move back five in one round and then move out five in the past.
Yeah, it was.
It's kind of an analytics thing for us. I know, I agree it kind of looked weird, but it also had to do with our draft board and where we thought we had to take guys and that just a combination of picks, you know, potentially tied to the kicker, just for us to gain some additional flexibility in the
sixth round and maneuver a little bit that way. It really wasn't anybody that we really coveted that specific point when we picked, so we just liked the movement in the sixth round for us to kind of get some things accomplished, and also we felt like it might be an opportunity for us to actually use potentially use some of those six round picks potentially to acquire some picks next year, which we we sort of did by by trading a sixth round pick and then as part of
another deal but to get a fifth round pick. So it was really an analytics thing, a strategy that we used based on the board, the type of players that we thought were there, and then also the percentages that we not to get to geeky.
But we we.
Have this list that Derek gam does which gives us percentages of when guys are going to be there in each round at each point at each pick. So for us, based on that and the players that we wanted, we thought it made some sense.
Since we're not been talking for a while, do you have any uptake on your offer?
I do not, thank you.
We also heard from some of the prospects today, including linebacker Teddy Buchanan out of Cal, the Ravens fourth round pick. They were ables took him at pick number one twenty nine. Here's what he had to say about joining the Ravens.
Congratulations Teddy, thank you your your final season that Cal really seemed like you really came on, had a very strong season. What really do you feel like led to that where it all kind of came together that last season?
Man, I feel like, you know, I worked extremely hard four years at Davis, and I feel like all that work just kind of, you know, came to a came to a point, and you know, I was just able to show what I was able to do on the national stage. You know, I had great coaches, great teammates around me, and yeah, just getting a chance to shut that and really just put it all out there and I think put together a really good season.
We'll go to Gianahan, I said, Rats, I was wondering how much you have talked with Ravens defensive coordinator and Zach or what it means don't have a DC has inside linebacker experience.
Yeah, honestly, haven't. Haven't talked to the Ravens as much as other teams, but you.
Know, I'm just super grateful to to get the.
Opportunity, and you know, I'm just gonna give everything I got to this organization and I'm just blessed to be here.
We'll go to Garret Downey.
Did you say you haven't talked to them that much, so it sounds like you were maybe surprised when they were the team that called. What was your reaction when you found out it was the Ravens, Oh.
Man, I was exciting.
You know, Ravens are a team that, you know, just a great organization and a team that I followed my whole life as a football fan.
You know, I think about raven.
Linebackers, you know, obviously, you know ray Lewis just kind of epitomizes what a middle linebacker was for me growing up.
So so you know, I wasn't surprised.
I kind of had a gut feeling that it was going to be a team that I didn't talk to. So I'm just grateful for the opportunity and just excited to give everything I got.
Brian Whacker.
Hey, Teddy, congrats mentioned you know, following the Ravens a little bit, just how familiar argue with their defense and their schemes and some of their players, and what do you think you add in that respect?
Yeah?
I mean for me, really, I'm just gonna add whatever whatever coach wants needs me to add. First of all, it's just gonna be effort and and toughness and just consistency. And you know, I'm not really really looking to do anything outside of my realm, just doing whatever whatever coach needs for me, and just whatever the team needs.
Ran Mink.
Yeah, Teddy, I saw that you have a little bit of a quarterback background, uh or linebacker. How do you feel like that helped you as a linebacker?
Yeah, I helped in a bunch of ways, just you know, understanding first of all, the mentality of a quarterback.
You know what things affect them.
You know, the processing speed of playing quarterback definitely translates right over to defense. And then you know, just understanding offense and how they're trying to attack RPOs and different things like that, especially in college.
So definitely was definitely was helpful.
Go back to Brian Whacker.
Yeah, real quick, Teddy, just on your first name, a little bit of an unusual spelling. I guess at the at the end, is there anything to that or just just the way you guys spelled it.
Or that's just that's a question for my parents.
But you know, I like it if if I feel like it makes my name unique, you note to me if it's the Teddy with the E.
So yeah, Clifton Brown, Yeah, Teddy, congratulations.
One, I know a lot of Ravens players, rookies come in as special teamers. Just want to know you're reacting to that maybe you experience on special teams. And two about you know, being learning from a guy like Rokwan Smith who's in the linebacker room with the Ravens.
Yeah, I mean for me, special teams is you know, going to be your priority for me, I'm super excited to play special teams. I played special team in college, you know, played all four of them.
So I'm super excited in that regard.
And you know, I'm I'm super excited to learn from guys like Rocon and just pick their brain and do everything I can to you know, see how they're pros and and just follow their lead.
And then we will close it out with Jonas Schaeffer.
Hey, Teddy, congrats. I saw from your UC Davis profile that you were a design major there. I guess could you kind of talk about just your interest there and what did you did you continue those studies when you got to Cality or did you take up the track.
Yeah, so I have a bit of an art background, so you know, I went into design at Davis and you know, I learned learned a lot of cool things about design there and then I follow that up with I got my certificate and business administration at cal SO. A bit of a different route, but yeah, design definitely stemmed from our background.
All right.
Well, Teddy, congratulations again, thank you for joining us, and we look forward to meeting you here in Baltimore soon.
Thanks.
I appreciate it, all right.
Thank you everybody.
Next up, we heard from offensive tackle Carson Vincent out of Alabama A and M.
It's our pleasure to introduce Cartson Vincent from the newest Raven from Alabama A and M. Carson, thank you for taking the time to join us today. As always, please utilize the ray's hand function if you have a question, and we will call on you and with that we will kick things off with Ryan Minks.
Carson, can you talk about Yeah, can you talk about your your emotions being selected by the Ravens and how much pre draft contact you have with them.
Did you think you could end up in Baltimore?
You know, I had my thirty visit with them and it was an amazing time. And you know, you always think in the back of your head, but especially coming from a small school, like it's almost surreal, like you never like you think it's gonna happen, but you never really know. So, like I seen the bottomorren number pop up, and everything kind of slowed.
Down a little bit. It kind of slowed down. I said, let me answer this call. But it's just it's been a blessing.
I don't know if it's even still hit me yet, but I can't put in the words how much I'm blessed to be putting into this position.
Luke Jones, congratulations Carson. Going through the pre draft process, you said it coming from a small school, what kind of feedback did you get the teams liked and where do you feel you need to improve the most for your game to translate to the next level.
Yes, sir.
So, like the biggest thing with me is like I bring tenacity and I'm an athlete. Those two things I really hang my hat on. And a lot of things that the Ravens organization can help me with other things that I need to work on, as like my technique. Coach Warharp, he's a great coach. So it's a lot of things like that where I feel like I'm in a perp position to be the best player that I can.
We'll go to Brian whacker th Parson.
Congratulations, man, things just you know how familiar argue with the Ravens just as an organization in terms of what they'd like to do on offensive line and obviously getting a chance to work with guy you know, veteran All Pro guy like Ronnie Stanley and so forth.
Yes, Sir, like Ronnie Stanley, he's a great He's a guy that I watched a lot of tape on because I feel like me and him had a lot of similarities and.
Stuff like that. So I watched a lot of tons of tape on him.
And when I think of the Ravens, I think of fast, physical players and like getting up and down the field, and that's really who I am as a person. I'm fast, I'm violent, That's really what I do. So it's a blessing made of heaven. And I just can't thank you guys enough.
Garrett Downy than Garrison, just as you went through this process, were the Ravens a team, he kind of circled and hoped that you would end up here. How did you view the possibility of potentially coming to Baltimore.
It's so it's so crazy because my agent and he's gonna love it. Because my agent he literally tellts me before the JEV he says, I can literally envision you in the Ravens jersey and it's happened.
So I guess he's the man. This is man I taught.
You know, this process is a long process, but you know that I was able to get up there for a visiting and it really felt like home. It really felt like a place that I can live with, I can live grow up in. So is an amazing.
Jonas Schaefer, Hey, Garson, congratulations, Uh what what? How important do you think was the Senior Bowl? Your experience there? I saw that you were the only HBCU player invited there. I mean, did do you feel like that was a kind of, you know, a momentum changer for you during this pre draft process.
Yeah, so I really think it was that Senior Bowl was able to put me on a on the stage where I can really prove myself against the best of the best athletes, especially like when you're coming from a smaller school. That's one thing that a lot of people have questions on is if it can translate into a higher level. So the Senior Bowl was a blessing to get the invite and then to prepare myself to play well at it.
With just the ice on the cake.
We'll go to Jionahan and then Brian Wicker.
Again kind of going off the fact that you came from an HBCU.
What does it mean to have the chance to represent them at the sex level being.
From an HBCU. Is it's so special because you're been like over this entire process. When HBCU guys get past our space, you know, we have our rivalries and we have the teams that we go at each other, but after when we get past it, like we're all one big family, We're all one big thing. So I mean, I've got support from every single team from a HBCU
especially after I got the Singing Bowl invite. After games, they would say, hey, you're gonna do great things at the So it's all one big family, and you know what the transport on the way things is a lot of guys feel like they have to transfer up to go to where they want to go. But it's really important to me that, you know, I say that Alabama A and M for all four years. You know, it was the best four years of my life. And you can go anywhere you want to from the institution that
you're at. So it was really it was really important for me.
Brian Wacker and then Ryan Mink.
Yeah, Curvison, speaking of A and M, I think you're the first player get drafted from there in like thirty years. Yes, sir, what does that kind of mean to you? You know, is it sunk in? And and you know, does it doesn't matter where a guy comes from, ie small school versus big school and so forth.
Man, you know, football is just an amazing sport that there's people from all walker life. That's why football is the ultimate team sport. There's people from all watks of life, every single background, and that's the really thing that brings
the sport together. So, you know, being from a smaller school, it was so amazing, just like the family feel that I got from there, and then they built me up because everything I am right now is that Alabama A and M built So you know, I credited them and my coaches and those training staff and they got me together. And you know, it's really just to be a blessing that can not only be coming from those institutions, but when I get to where I'm at, I can give it back.
Because that's one of the most important things too, is giving back.
Ryan and then created parks.
Yeah, Carson, I'm curious about your decision not to leave A and M and enter the portal and try to go somewhere else. Why did you make that decision specifically? And then secondarily, why how did everybody miss on recruiting you out of high school? Like how did that happen given your size and everything? Why were you so lately recruited?
Yeah, you know, I'm from Carry, North Carolina and n C State's right here, Duke's right here, North Carolina's right here.
None of them wanted me. None of them wanted me.
I slipped through the crass. But ada been in A and m They found me. They found me, and they took me in with open arms. So especially like when those schools came back around calling I grew up in North Carolina, man, I wanted to go to Carolina and they came back all around my junior same year, and I wasn't gonna go because you didn't want me out
of high school. So it was really just a chip on my shirt that I took through about college and I said, Okay, I'm gonna do it from the school that wanted me first.
Created do you have a question I do?
Hi, Carson, I just wanted to circle back you were when you were talking about being from an HPP. You said it's supportant for you to give back.
So I'm just.
Curious if you could just tell me what it is that you're looking to do, Just give me more insight on that piece.
Yeah, so I want to pour into it, like when you when you get past the HPC. It's really important not only just to give money. Anybody can give a check, but it's really important to be there and give be hands on because you know a lot of times when we make it from these spaces, we might give a check back or might give some money back, but I really want to go back to my institution and be there where they could see me because it's important. I know when Robert Mathis came to practices, when we had
John Saliver come to practices. It's really easy when gods say like, Okay, this guy's did it, this guy's get it, But when you see them in the flesh, it becomes real. So I knew it was real because I've seen Robert Mathis in person and he went to the same institution I did. I seen John Stalwart, So it's really important to be there, and that's how I really wanted to give back. It's about me being hands on.
We have time for two more, so we'll go to Jonas Schaeffer and then wrap it up with Ryan mink.
Hey Carson. Yesterday, one of the picks that the Ravens made was on one of your fellow Senior bowlers, of Mike Green. I don't know if you guys ever matched up when on one or in practice, but what were your impersions of him as a player and a person?
Man that due is a dog, you know.
I we didn't get to match up at the Senior Bowl, but I saw clips now especially dabaira one that everybody was talking about. So, you know, and that man is he's an animal, he's a dog. He's going to help our organization. We're going to Super.
Bowl, Ryan mink, Ryan un mute please.
Sorry?
Yeah, Carson, I know you went against a couple of SEC teams Vandy and Auburn. You know during your career, how'd you feel like that that went when you kind of had this big teams as opponents.
Yeah, those are amazing experiences because you really see how you match up against those guys, and you really see on what you're made of, and you know, those are great experiences for me. Those are games that a lot of scouts and a lot of people wanted to see
from me. So it was just an amazing experience to play against those players and really show that, you know, I can do this, and then you go to a space out of Singer Bowl, which is the best of those best and it just is just exponentially better.
Well, Carson, we are appreciative of your time today. Thank you very much, and again, congratulations. Look forward to meet you in person soon.
Yes, sir, I appreciate you guys.
Next up is cornerback Balalcone. Out of Western Michigan.
It's our pleasure to welcome balal Cone, the newest member of the Baltimore Ravens. Blall, thank you very much for joining us today. So finder, please use the race hand function if you have a question. And to start things off, we will go with Ryan mink.
Well, congratulations below. Uh, you just talk about your your connection with the Ravens and the pre jaft process and and whether you thought that they could be the team for you.
Well, I've always been a fan, you know, the defense has always been just a great defense to watch. They got Dogars, you got Kyle Hamilton, and then you just got Malachi Stars with someone who I've had a relationship with about the last couple of months. We've been working out at the same spot over in Tampa, so we've been competing against each other and making each other better for joking around.
So we got we got close throughout there.
So like being able to come here with him and getting right back to it is really really great, really great.
We'll go to Garrett Downing.
I guess just along those lines, what happened your impressions of Malachi and the two of you working together and and just kind of the thoughts of of certainly you'll be connected and coming here to Baltimore, but then action that the two of you will share here as rookies coming here.
Yeah from can you guys still see me? Yeah?
For me, the connection we got already is just going after everything, just going going at each other, learning about each other, the type of type of player we are, the type of type of attitude we come in with. So yeah, I can't wait to see what it brings.
Go back to Ryan Manker, Yeah, can you just tell us you know what you're gonna bring here to Baltimore, what kind of player you are.
So you're gonna get a dog. You're gonna get a guy who's wanting to play whatever it is.
That's a that's about winning, that doesn't that doesn't care when it is he has to lace up.
You're gonna get that type of player. You're gonna get a dog with a chip on his shoulder.
You're gonna get a guy who's been through the longest journey.
You're gonna get a guy who has fought through every type of adversity.
You could probably think of a guy who's seen a lot of different perspectives and is grateful and humble, but at the same time willing to work and ready for that spot at any time.
That's that's the type of guy you get in.
Giannahan.
Congrats.
I was wondering if you know or have watched any of the current Ravens cornerbacks and what you're excited about working with them once you got here.
Honestly, for me, it's.
I'm grateful to be working with anybody who's in who's in the NFL. You know, guys, I'm going to be able to learn from you. Guys have a tremendous group, always been known as a great defensive defensive team. So I'm I'm ready for whoever is willing to help me out, you know, be a be a mentor in that room.
That's that's all I'm ready for.
Go back to Garrett Downing.
You mentioned the journey and the university, and I'm sure that's going through your head when you get a moment like this. How have you Is that something you kind of thought about in the moment of getting this pick, of the culmination of all that led up to this moment.
Yeah, definitely.
I mean, just going from Juco to art to Indiana State to Western Michigan.
All those flashbacks are definitely reminiscent around.
These times right now, especially just sitting down and washing Washington happened in front of me. It is a surreal full circle moment as well, you know, just just seeing all this and then having my family here and seeing what I've been through, seeing the challenges that overcame throughout football.
Yeah, that's real.
It just on the Juke route, Like, how what does that mean to go from the Juco route to make it to this point to the NFL.
Yeah, so the Juco route it's where you find out how much you really love football, you know. It's a place where you just sit, put your feet in the dirt and work every day, you know, and if you don't really like football, you're probably gone before the end of the week. So it showed me my purpose. It showed me how much purpose I really have. It showed me how much I'm willing to sacrifice, and I found my consistency there.
So I'm grateful for sure.
We'll go to sam.
Con Able all congratulations. I saw you would you would post it on Twitter. I believe it's your your late baby brother's birthday. Just serious, how special it is to be drafted on today, of all days.
I me and my brother got on the phone.
My brother plays basketball over in Australia, so we got on the phone and he told me, like, there's no coincidence about this happening to day, and we know that for a fact, and we're just so blessed that I was able to get picked on this day. And it's also my little brother's birthday, so not two births with one that's my it's another day to celebrate my birthday, my brother's birthday.
I was thinking about that all morning.
Honestly, that was that was more on my mind than a lot of things.
So I'm really grateful.
And I know he's watching above, just guiding all of us, so I'm appreciated for him.
We'll go to Ryan and then wrap things up with Gianna.
Please, Yeah, can you talk a little bit more about your upbringing childhood. I read that you know your your family was on house for a bit and you you know, found kind of different housing and moved in with some people. Can you talk about the challenges that you've already overcome in your life and how that has shaped you as a person.
Yeah, I mean a lot of challenges I mean coming here first from Ivory Coast, I mean I was born here, but I came, I came back to the US.
I had to learn English, you know, I.
Had my first language was French, so picking up English. Going from my freshman year, my little brother passed away, and that's that's when like the motive came, That's when the purpose came a little bit, and I had an idea of how how great a person he was unshard. But then that's when perspectives came in. And I grew up a little quicker than most guys had to. And so carrying that onto to Juco was was kind of
what willed me a little more than other guys. That kept me around and knowing that I had something that I wanted to make something out of people that I wanted to make proud of my little brother. And so me and my brother always fought like that for him. We always put our best foot in front, not for us, but because of my little brother.
You know.
That's what we do every day, and that's what my mom does every day, and we just we lived through him as well. So going through through that, going to Juco, that's that's honestly when it started for me. But then in high school, Yeah, I did end up moving out out of my mom's place because we can't we couldn't
be together because of financial reasons. So I moved in with some other people who really helped me out throughout the way, and I was grateful for that as well, And so a lot of perspectives have have really helped me until this day, which I'm super grateful.
Ford and Gianna will close it out with you please.
I saw the university that you suffered injury last year where I guess you weren't able to eat for a while.
Can you talk about that and what it was like to fight back through that and then get to the point you are now?
You said what, I'm sorry.
The injury that you suffered at the end of last season that had you missed the end of the season.
What was it like to fight back through too?
Sorry?
Oh yeah, and going from I guess like a liquid diet and then getting.
Yeah, that was It was a crazy time.
Honestly, it happened during the game when I was at Indiana State, and but I didn't feel until after the game was over. And after the game was over, I had I told them I couldn't.
I couldn't. I could barely breathe, I could barely eat.
So I stayed the night when we were I think we're in South Dakota and I.
Stayed the night there instead of flying back with the team.
And they told me that I kind of like fractured something in my hyoid I think it was, and so that that took me out for just like a month or something, a month maybe, but yeah, I didn't finish the rest of that season. But I mean I could barely eat, so I was on liquid diet.
Yeah, and it was it was not fun.
I was I was missing my burgers, I was missing, missing a lot of those.
Types of things that I usually eat.
So but I bounced back quick just because I wanted to heal and I knew I needed to transfer. I needed to get to my new situation. So I bounced back pretty quick.
And finally we heard from kicker Tyler Loop out of Arizona. It sound like congratulations. Just what was the yeah, what was the reaction when you got the call in? You know, the Ravens Rainny Brown, I know had been looking at different kickers. Had you met with him during the process, and what were your impressions throughout those process.
Oh dude, total elation getting the call. I saw saw the area code come across my phone and I was like, let's go.
I'm going to Baltimore.
But yeah, total totally awesome, big big fan of Randy, and this whole process has been really fun.
Uh, just getting.
To learn learn from him, even just in the conversation of like, Hey, you know, no, no guarantee that we you know that we end up together, but I, you know, here's what here's how I've helped guys find success in the league.
And you know, here's what I think you do.
Well, here's where you know, if you're with us, we can improve and go try and win games and make kicks and be successful in Baltimore. And it's been a it's been a really cool, cool process getting to know Randy and it's been special.
James and Hansley.
Hey, graduation, Tyler, how many total total times did you meet with the Ravens and what was kind of did you think what was kind of your confidence level that you would be getting taken by the Ravens today.
Oh, as far as times we've met, I don't have a great ballpark.
Howd a good like good amount of phone.
Calls, conversations, like I met with a scout at the Hula Bowl and then at the at the combine, I got to chat with Randy during the specialist workout and then.
He came.
You know, we got to got to chat a bunch and got to exchange film and just talk about that and just through the process, especially the draft. I think the moment that was like all right, hey, I think I think we're gonna We're gonna end up at Baltimore was right after the Patriots took Andy other right here goes like yeah, here, here we goa Baltimore raven and going to.
Be with Randy and Harvlle and uh, Pete the raven Is is pump and pumped.
Pete Gilbert the congratulations.
I'm curious, what does it mean to you to be the first kicker ever drafted by the Ravens.
Oh, it's so special. That was that was a cool thing. My my dad had mentioned.
It's like, hey, like the Ravens never drafted a kicker, and uh, it's it's really special.
I mean just.
You know, to get to get drafted in itself.
Is just so cool, and especially in organization like the Ravens.
That's I mean, it's you couldn't you couldn't dream of anything cooler.
We'll go to Child's Walker.
Congratulations. Obviously there's uncertainty around justin Tucker's situation. Are you thinking that you might end up competing for the job with a guy that many people regard as the greatest kicker of all time? What's your what's your sense of that situation as of right now?
I'm just excited to get there and be be around the be around those guys and learn from you know, be be with the team and find ways to make kicks in Baltimore, you know, finding be being successful up there is what matters the most, going and making kicks and winning games and uh, just taking it one day at a time. So I'm gonna celebrate today and tomorrow, get right back to work and stack some days and figure out how we can, you know, be have success up there.
Gianahan, congratulations.
I know a lot of NFL kickers have said that the AFC North is a really hard division to kick in. What sort of experience do you have kicking in weather like that and anticipation you have to be in this division?
Yeah, you know, I've being in the pac twelve got to go up to Washington and Washington stay Oregon and play up there and some some cold weather and some wind and crazy conditions, and it's it's something that gets me excited, you know. I think having having a challenge to go conquer and you know, a skill set to to refine and really work on and become an expert of kicking in those conditions is something that gets me
fired up. You know, learning from learning from coaches who have been up there for a long time and learned how to be successful in the AFC North kicking like that, that's something that the sound of gets me pumped up.
So we're looking forward to it and learning all that.
Brian Whacker, Hey, Tyler, congratulations. Obviously it's curious who were maybe some of your favorite kickers growing up and and and knowing, you know, kind of alluding to the question about Justin Tucker earlier, is that you know, is that something you just have to set aside or how do you kind of apartmentalize that?
I guess, Yeah, So as far as kickers that I really looked up to growing up, you know, especially especially like getting into college. Nick Folk, uh Beel Arizon a Wildcat.
Uh.
You know, obviously Justin Tucker's from from Texas and I was I was a long horn fan growing up, so uh, you know, there's elements of guys like that who have passed success in the league and been regarded as like the elite place kickers in the NFL.
You know, I admire a lot of parts of their games, but it's.
One of those where it's like, hey, I you know the I've got I've got things that i can do to to learn from them, but I've also got my own, my own style and my own kicking and just figuring out what's gonna work to be successful in Baltimore and it kicks and win games.
Uh.
You know what that looks like is, you know, just stacking days and learning and taking input and just competing every day.
So that's that's what.
I'm gonna do.
That's what I'm ready for.
Ryan Mink, congratulations, Tyler. You talk about your style of kicking. Can you describe what your style is and did you feel like you had the biggest leg of any kicker in this year's draft.
I'd say the one thing that I my hat on is U loving like being a student of the craft. You know, guys in golf and baseball, you have a swing coach because we're doing the same thing, trying to hit the same.
Ball every time.
And so I was super fortunate to have a coach here in Texas through Cole's kick and Morgan Laneberry and uh from my sophomore years, like, Hey, we're going to figure out, we're gonna learn your swing, we're gonna learn what works, what keys worked for you, and we're going to be.
As efficient as possible.
And that's something that that I really enjoy because there are days where you don't feel good. There are days where you're not in a groove, and if you're not feeling it, you know you can always fall back run your mechanics to be to be successful, to make kicks, and so that that gets me excited knowing that that's just something that I enjoy, is the mechanics of the
game and how kicking works. And as far as life strength, Like, dude, there's some rest of legs in this class, I definitely would think I'm up there, but man, it was it was really fun like competing with those.
Guys at the combine and just seeing how talented they are.
And just that that brotherhood is really special, so it was fun.
Jameson Ensley.
I mean, you know everyone talks about Justin Talker and how he's the most accurate kicker in NFL history. How much pressure would it be?
Do you would you feel whether.
It's competing against him or following in his footsteps. I'm just trying to gate how much pressure you would feel in that type of situation.
I think it's I think it's really exciting more than pressure, just because it gives me something to shoot for. Right There's you know, we always want to be improving, We always want to be chasing, chasing perfection and learning how to adjust well and make kicks, and you know, getting to get him to fall in the footsteps of a guy like that has been and so elite and get to compete with him and they learn from him like
that just gets me. That gets me fired up and I'm ready to get up there and start start competing and final ways to win games, to make kicks.
Giannahn Tyler, I know this snapping and holding is a really big part of what you do. I was wondering if you've had a chance to follow the Ravens seven hold operational or if it's something that you've talked with Grandy Brown about.
Yeah, we've we've chatted about it a little bit.
Now, I'm I'm excited.
I think the operation they got up there is is top level.
You know, those guys care deeply about their.
Job and they take it, take it seriously, their true professionals and just getting the I'm so excited to get up there and work with them and start building that chemistry and find ways to be finally to be successful with them.
We have time for two more. We'll go to Brian Wacker and then close it with Jonah's Shafer.
Sorry, I'm good, actually, thank you good guess.
Okay, all right, Jonas close this out please.
Sure thing um.
Tell Sorry if I hopped on late, did you already have that raven shirt handy or were you just kind of heading your bet and had a bunch of shirts?
No, we were, we were ready with it.
We were ready with it.
It was Andy Well order it ordered a couple of days ago.
So yeah, you're listening to the Ravens Press Past podcast. Make sure you're subscribe here. Also head over to the Ravens Lounge podcast feed. Riyan making I do a full breakdown of the draft with everything you need to know about these prospects and how they're going to impact the Ravens this year. That's it for us, Thanks for listening, and we will be back with you again soon