Ravens sign Alec Lemon to practice squad

The Ravens signed a local product to their practice squad on Wednesday.

Filling the final spot on the practice squad is wide receiver Alec Lemon, who attended Arundel High School in nearby Gambrills, Md. His high school numbers — which included 23 touchdowns as a senior in 2008 — earned him a scholarship at Syracuse, where he went on to break the school record in receptions with 201. With the Orange, Lemon also recorded 2,596 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns.

Lemon went undrafted in 2013 but spent some time in Houston under Gary Kubiak, which is probably one reason why he was brought in this late in the season. However, a hamstring injury left him on injured reserve in 2013 and he hasn't been with an NFL team this year.

Lemon's addition fills the open spot left when tight end Phillip Supernaw was promoted to the 53-man roster. Supernaw got that spot after Haloti Ngata was moved to the suspension list following his positive drug test for Adderall. Supernaw made the most of the promotion with a 29-yard catch in Sunday's 28-13 win over Miami.

Lemon has familiarity with the Kubiak scheme, which certainly helps his case. However, his primary responsibility in the short term will be to study film to give the first-teamers a good look at what to expect in upcoming games. At 6-2 and 207 pounds, Lemon has the size to emulate — practice-wise — bigger receivers such as Andre Johnson and Josh Gordon, both of which are coming up in the next three weeks.