Baltimore Ravens: 3 UDFAs Who Could Make An Immediate Impact

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Markus Jones – OLB – Angelo State

This offseason, the Baltimore Ravens opted not to re-sign pass rushers, Suggs and Za’Darius Smith, a shocking move to most fans. To make matters worse, they did not pursue that position in the first slate of free-agency back in March.

Instead, the Ravens waited until the 2019 NFL Draft to select Jaylon Ferguson in the third round, who they hope will fill the hole left by Suggs and Smith. According to Ourlads.com, he joins a shallow group of players that only includes Matt Judon, Tim Williams, Tyus Bowser, and Ejuan Price.

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They also did significant work on the UDFA market, bringing in a few pass rushers for camp, most notably Markus Jones from Angelo State.

Jones, a former Lone Star Conference Defensive Player of the Year, is a small school prospect with a ton of potential. Despite facing lesser Division 2 competition, Markus Jones still offers great tools that the Ravens defensive coaches can work with. He has a 6-foot-3, 252-pound frame, incredible get-off and a knack for stopping the run, key things the Ravens look for. Not to mention the ability to play special teams.

While still very raw, Markus Jones offers the upside and the college production (17.5 sacks in 2018) that would garner interest from teams. I would imagine the Ravens spend time to develop him, as they’ve had moderate success coaching up smaller school players in the past (ex. Matt Judon).

If Markus Jones impresses in training camp, he could find himself a roster spot as well as a potential role in the Baltimore Ravens rotation. I’m not saying he’ll be Terrell Suggs, but the Ravens need pass rush help in any form they can get it.

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