{"id":44272,"date":"2025-04-27T02:08:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T02:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=44272"},"modified":"2025-04-27T02:08:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T02:08:14","slug":"ravens-unearthed-massive-small-school-gem-to-reload-offensive-line-depth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=44272","title":{"rendered":"Ravens unearthed massive small-school gem to reload offensive line depth"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"article-intro mb-4 text-darkGrey font-group-large md:font-group-normal lg:font-group-large\">DeCosta&#8217;s not done reinforcing the trenches.<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex items-center justify-between text-darkGrey font-group-bigger\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n<div class=\"mb-0 md:mb-9 relative md:mx-10 md:mb-9\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"overflow-hidden bg-lightGrey\"><picture><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full\" title=\"2025 NFL Scouting Combine\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_208,w_3500,h_1968\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/26\/01jssmnjaze0906rfsce.jpg\" alt=\"2025 NFL Scouting Combine\" width=\"3500\" height=\"1968\" data-uw-rm-alt-original=\"2025 NFL Scouting Combine\" data-uw-rm-alt=\"ALT\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"ml-1 pb-2 mt-4 md:m-3 text-darkGrey font-group-tiny\">2025 NFL Scouting Combine | Michael Hickey\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex flex-wrap\">\n<div class=\"flex mr-4 lg:w-[calc(70%-3em)] max-w-full\">\n<div class=\"hidden md:block md:mx-4 hidden md:block\" data-testid=\"share-menu\">\n<div class=\"sticky top-20 mb-3\" data-testid=\"share-menu-inner\">\n<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The Baltimore Ravens entered the 2025 NFL Draft needing to shore up their offensive line depth after losing both Josh Jones and Patrick Mekari in free agency. They took a big step toward solving that on Day 2\u00a0by drafting LSU\u2019s Emery Jones. But Eric DeCosta wasn\u2019t done just yet.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">On Day 3, the Ravens went back to the trenches, selecting Alabama A&amp;M offensive tackle Carson Vinson with the 141st pick in the fifth round. Vinson isn\u2019t a household name\u2014but that\u2019s exactly the kind of profile Baltimore loves to bet on. Big frame. Heavy hands. Tough mindset. Developmental upside. Also, he&#8217;s an absolute athlete.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Vinson said it best: &#8220;The biggest thing with me is I bring tenacity and I&#8217;m an athlete.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The Ravens lost a lot of experience with Jones heading to Seattle and Mekari heading to Jacksonville, but in Vinson, they\u2019re banking on raw traits and the Ravens\u2019 proven track record at developing linemen into contributors.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Ravens tap into size and upside with Alabama A&amp;T OT Carson Vinson<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">At 6-foot-7 and 314 pounds, Vinson looks the part. He&#8217;s&#8230; big. His length (34.5-inch arms) and nasty demeanor jump out immediately. He plays like a tone-setter in the run game, looking to finish blocks and punish defenders when he gets his hands on them.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">The foundation is there: size, attitude, and just enough movement skills to believe he can grow into a serviceable swing tackle.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">That said, Vinson is far from a finished product. His pad level gets too high, his technique can get sloppy, and he struggled against Power Five competition when Alabama A&amp;M faced Auburn last year. But for a fifth-round flier, the Ravens aren\u2019t looking for perfection\u2014they\u2019re looking for traits they can mold.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">Baltimore\u2019s success with mid- and late-round linemen is well-documented. Vinson will get time to refine his footwork and improve his angles behind Ronnie Stanley and Roger Rosengarten. If he progresses as expected, he could eventually fill the jumbo-package role Josh Jones handled last season\u2014and maybe even more down the line.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">With the addition of Emery Jones and now Carson Vinson, the Ravens are rebuilding their offensive line depth the right way: big bodies, versatile skill sets, and long-term upside. Jones and Mekari are out. Emery Jones and Vinson are in. This was a good pick for DeCosta.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DeCosta&#8217;s not done reinforcing the trenches. 2025 NFL Scouting Combine | Michael Hickey\/GettyImages The Baltimore Ravens entered the 2025 NFL Draft needing to shore up their offensive&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":44273,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ravens unearthed massive small-school gem to reload offensive line depth - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=44272\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ravens unearthed massive small-school gem to reload offensive line depth - 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