Ravens News 6/27: Supplemental draft, pass rush and more

MSU DB Brandon Bryant worked out for 14 teams Monday - Chase Goodbread

Brandon Bryant was out of bed at 7 a.m. Monday preparing for a huge step in his football future -- a workout for NFL scouts at Mississippi State University in advance of the 2018 NFL Supplemental Draft, which will be held July 11.

With representatives from 14 NFL clubs on hand, Bryant ran official 40-yard dash times of 4.45 and 4.52, per NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt, vertical jumped 34 inches and turned in a broad jump of 10-3. In agility drills, he ran 3-cone drill times of 7.26 and 7.52, with a 20-yard shuttle clocking of 4.23.

Among those, the Colts and Ravens were his favorite interviews.

This year’s field for the supplemental draft is stronger than usual, with three defensive backs considered legitimate possibilities for selection: Bryant, former Virginia Tech DB Adonis Alexander, and former Western Michigan DB Sam Beal.

Brandon Bryant profiles as a hybrid safety, while Adonis Alexander and Sam Beal are pure cornerbacks. If a team selects a prospect in the supplemental draft, they will forfeit their pick in the corresponding round of the following NFL draft.

Rebuilding the offense is fine, but the Ravens need to find pass rushers, too - Mike Preston

But if a good defense wants to become a dominant one, if the Ravens want to leave a calling card throughout the rest of the NFL, they will need to pressure the quarterback and produce more sacks than the 41 last year.

One of the characteristics of a great defense is that it gets pressure with the front four. If the Ravens want to reach that status, they will need more from players like Urban and Henry.

The Ravens 41 sacks ranked 11th in the NFL last season. Terrell Suggs led the edge rushers in defensive snaps at 77-percent, followed by Matt Judon at 72-percent, Za’Darius Smith at 49-percent, Tyus Bowser at 15-percent and Tim Williams at 11-percent.

Team-by-team breakdown of Top 100 Players of 2018 - NFL.com

Pittsburgh Steelers

» WR Antonio Brown (No. 2)

» RB Le’Veon Bell (No. 5)

» QB Ben Roethlisberger (No. 18)

» OG David DeCastro (No. 44)

» ILB Ryan Shazier (No. 47)

» DT Cameron Heyward (No. 48)

Cincinnati Bengals

» WR A.J. Green (No. 22)

» DT Geno Atkins (No. 63)

Cleveland Browns

» WR Jarvis Landry (No. 52)

» RB Carlos Hyde (No. 97)

Baltimore Ravens

» LB C.J. Mosley (No. 98)

By this subjective measurement, the Ravens roster is severely lacking in elite talent. Young players such as Ronnie Stanley, Alex Collins, Matt Judon and Marlon Humphrey could place on this list next offseason if they improve upon their impressive 2017 showings.