Baltimore Ravens: Early Rookie Progress Reports

As the offseason continues, rookies are getting their first taste of the NFL through organized team activities. For the Baltimore Ravens, they're now in Phase 3 of the NFL's offseason workout program. As Bleacher Report's Timothy Rapp writes, when Phase 3 begins, teams are allowed 10 days of OTAs over a four-week span.

During these workouts, no contact is allowed, but seven-on-seven, nine-on-seven and 11-on-11 drills are permitted. This is used to help slowly acclimate both rookies and veterans back into an NFL practice routine.  

Baltimore has several rookies who are expected to be key contributors in 2015, so how well they perform in OTAs will be important to watch for.  

Here's a look at the progress some notable Ravens rookies have made thus far. 

Maxx Williams

The Ravens will be counting on several rookies to make big contributions in 2015.

Maxx Williams may be the one who actually turns out to be a full-time starter. Baltimore traded up to take him in the second round of this year's draft.

He was arguably the best tight end in this draft coming out of Minnesota. That position happens to be one of the weakest, if not the weakest, on the Ravens roster. 

Dennis Pitta's status for 2015 up in the air, and Owen Daniels signed with the Denver Broncos this offseason. That leaves the Ravens without an established tight end, but Williams has the potential to change that. 

The 6'4", 249-pounder caught a team-high 36 passes for 589 yards and eight touchdowns in 2014. He was also a finalist for the 2014 John Mackey Award, which honors the nation's top tight end.

Tight ends coach Rich Angulo was among those who were thrilled to see the Ravens draft Williams. “As a tight ends coach, I couldn’t be happier," Angulo said, according to Turron Davenport of the Baltimore Times. "This guy plays with fire. He makes me excited as a position coach to coach him."

Offensive coordinator Marc Trestman is also high on Williams, who has the potential to be the featured tight end in Baltimore for a long time.

"This is a young guy. He’s only 21 years old and still growing,” Trestman said. “He has a great skill set. He is getting stronger yet he has a skill set that is ready made for this league. We are excited to have him with us.”

Williams is already getting the majority of reps at tight end in OTAs. That should help speed up his development to the point he's ready to be the starter as soon as training camp opens.

With little to no competition to be the starting tight end, Williams should win this job before the regular season opens. 

DeAndre Carter

Lido Vizzutti/Associated Press

One of the biggest revelations of OTAs has been wide receiver DeAndre Carter. 

Going into the 2015 NFL draft, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein projected him as a Round 6 or 7 prospect. However, Carter would go undrafted, and Baltimore was quick to sign him as soon as the draft ended.

He was a first-team FCS All-American at Sacramento State this past year, leading the nation with 99 catches for 1,321 yards and 17 touchdowns. It helps that he joins a Ravens receiving corps in need of depth, and he is already making his presence felt. 

Head coach John Harbaugh made sure to single out Carter as someone who's really stood out in OTAs thus far. 

"DeAndre's done a good job," the coach said, per the Baltimore Sun. "He's done a really nice job as a receiver and he's looked good as a punt returner. He's had some experience with that in college, so that's a plus."

As Harbaugh mentioned, punt returner is another position that Carter could possibly make an impact at as a rookie. After Baltimore cut Jacoby Jones this offseason, it is still searching for a punt and kickoff returner. 

Carter averaged 12.5 yards per punt return in his FCS career while returning one for a touchdown last year. He also averaged 23.7 yards per kickoff return. 

It's early, but he has put himself in a position to not only earn a roster spot this year but potentially make an impact on offense and special teams. 

Breshad Perriman

The most important rookie Baltimore will have this year should be wide receiver Breshad Perriman.

That's because he joins a receiving unit that's got far more questions than answers heading into the 2015 season.

Who steps up with Torrey Smith now gone? 

Does Steve Smith Sr. have enough left in the tank to be effective at age 36?

Who steps up at the No. 3 and 4 spots? 

All of these questions will remain through training camp and maybe even into the regular season. While no one player can address all of them, Perriman could minimize them with a big rookie season. 

Baltimore is expecting him to do just that after spending the 26th overall pick on him this year. This past season at UCF, the 6'2", 212-pounder caught 50 passes for 1,044 yards (20.9 average) and nine scores.

Perriman then declared for the 2015 draft as a junior, and he'll now join a Ravens receiver corps in need of a serious upgrade. He should be able to do that, but can a rookie be expected to contribute as much as he will be counted on? 

So far, so good in OTAs for Perriman. His new quarterback, Joe Flacco, likes what he's seen thus far of the rookie. 

"He looks really good. He looks big, powerful, runs well, Flacco said, per the Baltimore Sun. "His hands look like they're really good. He looks like he has big, strong hands. He snatches the ball out of the air."

Former UCF safety Rannell Hall praised Perriman's work ethic, character and ability to make an impact in Year 1 with the Ravens. 

"I feel like he will do a great job," Hall told the Baltimore Sun. "He's a very athletic kid, very humble. I feel like he'll fit into the system, especially after they let Torrey Smith leave. I feel like they brought him up there to play, to start as a rookie and make a big impact."

There will almost certainly be growing pains with Perriman, as is the case with any rookie who has to play a lot. It will be how good he can be and how much he can minimize mistakes that will be the difference in him being a strength or a liability as a rookie. 

Thus far, it looks like Perriman could be a strength in the offense, but there's still a long way to go before the regular season.