Undrafted rookie Tony Poljan caught the attention of Ravens coach John Harbaugh during the offseason workouts.
The tight end from Virginia flashed with several nice grabs across the middle of the field and his physicality after he caught the ball.
At 6-foot-7, 251 pounds, Poljan is easy to spot on the practice field.
Poljan will compete with several players, including Eli Wolf, Josh Oliver, and Eric Tomlinson, for a roster spot behind Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle.
“Those are guys are flashing. They look really athletic," Harbaugh said. "Let’s not forget Tony Poljan from Virginia there. You saw him make some catches today. He’s probably more of a guy that’s going to show up even more when the pads come on.
"So, I think all those guys have done exceptionally well. I cannot wait to see them again in pads and, like we said, play out, in terms of who plays the best in those situations. So, I’m not too worried about our tight-end situation; they look good out there so far.”
Poljan began his college career at Central Michigan as a quarterback, but he was athletic enough to make the transition to tight end.
His 38 receptions rank seventh-most in the program's single-season history by a tight end, while his 411 receiving yards also tied for seventh-most by a tight end.
Boyle suffered a season-ending knee injury last season. He was back on the practice field earlier this month wearing a t-shirt and did not participate in team drills. Boyle's status could also affect the tight ends room moving forward.
The Ravens also have fullback Pat Ricard, who has also lined up at the tight end, and rookie Ben Mason vying for snaps.
We have a great group. We have a big group right now," Andrews said. "Obviously, getting back here and being able to see Nick and Pat has been awesome. But then being able to see Eli, Eli has come back and is running incredible routes, doing a lot of great things. Josh Oliver has come in and done a great job. Eric Tomlinson, obviously, is a guy who’s been here before and is doing his thing, then also Ben Mason. So, we have a great group. Those guys are working extremely hard.
"You can tell that there’s a hungriness in the group. There’s a healthy competitiveness in the group, but at the same time, we’re also learning from each other. We’re able to just look at each other’s film, look at each other’s routes and critique things, and that’s a beautiful thing. I think that’s helped people get better. We have a great group. [Tight ends coach] Bobby Engram has done a great job with us so far. So, I’m just happy to be here, be with those guys and having fun playing some ball.”
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