Three Ravens Defensive Rookies Peaking at Perfect Time

This is the time of year when the college football season is entering its final stretch, with a reprieve from action before Bowl game season on the horizon. However, for the NFL rookies still left standing, they still have another two-plus months left in the season and perhaps even longer if their respective teams advance to the playoffs, so this marks the longest season of their lives, which can lead to burnout.

Starks leads all Ravens defenders in total snaps played on that side of the ball with 538, as he is the only starter who has not missed any time or had to leave a game as a result of injury. Green has played over 60% of the team's total in each of the last seven games dating back to Week 2. Buchanan has been on the field for 76% of the Ravens' total snaps on defense and played 100% in back-to-back games that Smith missed. Asked if he'd consider pulling back the reins a bit on the talented bunch, Harbaugh once again expressed his confidence in their ability to maintain their current workloads.

"We're going to play them the reps that they've earned, that can help us win," Harbaugh said. "Malaki is playing a lot. Mike Green has kind of taken a full-time role now, and he's handled it really well. We'll have to watch it, see how they do, but I haven't seen any signs yet of those guys having any issues with it."

Mid-rounder has come a long way in key area

While Starks and Green were both viewed as first-round talents and steals relative to where they landed as consensus top-tier prospects at their respective positions, the same couldn't be said for Buchanan, who was projected to be a mid-to-late round pick. He only had one year of Power 5 conference experience in college with the University of California, Berkeley in 2024 after beginning his career starring at UC Davis.

After seizing the starting role next to Smith, he has continued to progress each week and even spent a two-week stint taking over his spot with the eighth-year veteran missed a couple of games with a hamstring injury. His upward trajectory continued since the two of them were reunited starting lineup to the point where he leads the team with 63 total tackles, tied with Smith for the lead in tackles for loss with 4 and was named AFC Defensive Rookie of the Month.

"When 'Ro' was hurt, he was playing every snap and he was playing special teams," Harbaugh said. "He's actually had a little break in the last couple games since 'Ro' got back. He had the green dot, which is a lot of pressure. He's probably happy to have that off. He's another guy that learns, doesn't make mistakes twice. He continues to get better for that reason."

One of the aspects of the game that the vast majority of young linebackers struggle with when making the transition from the college game to the pros is in pass coverage. They often have a hard time gaining a natural feel for developing routes behind them in zone, as well as getting picked on in man against more athletic skill players on offense. Buchanan has come far in this area in particular, which often takes players at the position multiple seasons to gain a firm grasp on where they're no longer a liability in obvious passing situations and came trusted as an every-down player.

"He's gotten way better at it," Harbaugh said. "It's always a challenge for those linebackers out there, because people try to match him up with a good back, receiving back, or a No. 2 receiver into the boundary – if you keep your nickel to the field. He'll get matched up in some of those jobs, those coverage jobs – zone and man – that are challenging, matchup-type jobs. So, I think that's probably the biggest issue for the WILL linebackers now in the nickel world of defensive football."