Ravens Defender Named Rookie to Watch

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta made all the right moves in this past NFL Draft in April. He was able to secure a player who was projected as a first-round pick in the second round.

Edge rusher Mike Green is going to fit Chuck Pagano's defense like a glove. Pro Football and Sports Network has him rated as the rookie to watch for the Ravens.

"Given his off-field concerns and questions about the level of competition at Marshall, it’s not a shock that Mike Green fell a little in the draft," PFSN said. "However, the Baltimore Ravens landing him at the end of the second round is a huge win."

The Ravens were able to secure Green's service with the 59th pick of the draft. Green feels blessed to be a member of the Ravens defense.

"I'm just blessed to be here," Green said after his first practice at rookie minicamp. "Unfortunately, I didn't get picked up in the first round like I wanted to. That was a goal I set for myself. But coming to the Ravens was a blessing in disguise. I can honestly say I don't think there's a better franchise I can be a part of."

Green admitted that when he saw the 410 area code pop up on his phone on draft night, he cried tears of joy as he knew it was DeCosta on the other end of the line. He was born to be a Raven, he said.

"I'm just looking forward to moving on with my life and with my career," Green said. "Every team asked me [about the allegations] and I've been completely open about everything. It's something I had to go through, I got through it, and from this point forward I'm just focusing on moving on."

According to PFSN, Green was the most productive pass rusher in this year's draft class, racking up 17 sacks and 23 tackles for loss for the Thundering Herd in 2024. His fluidity should allow him to play stand-up edge rusher snaps for the Ravens’ odd fronts, and he adds important depth to a position where Odafe Oweh is in the final year of his rookie contract.

"Baltimore's defense finished in the top 10 in our Defense+ metric last season," PFSN said. "The unit had a solid pass rush, ranking second in the NFL in sacks (54.0) and seventh in pressures (235), according to TruMedia."

However, the Ravens' 33% pressure rate ranked 21st. If Green's pass-rush arsenal can translate to the next level, he'll strengthen a group that already got double-digit sacks out of both Oweh and Kyle Van Noy in 2024.