The Ravens double-dipped at tight end on Day 3, drafting Josh Cuevas out of Alabama in the fifth round with pick No. 173.
Baltimore previously selected Matt Hibner out of SMU in the fourth round.
Here are five things to know about Cuevas:
He's versatile.
Cuevas can be lined up in multiple spots in the Ravens offense, which will help them offset the losses of Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar in free agency.
He played 54% of his snaps inline in Alabama Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb's RPO-based downfield attack. Cuevas also lined up some as a fullback and lead blocker.
With Patrick Ricard departing in free agency and the Ravens transitioning out of deploying a traditional fullback, Cuevas can have a hybrid role in new Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle's offense.
The Ravens signed veteran Durham Smythe from Chicago to fill that role as well, and he can help groom Cuevas.
Cuevas said he only had two informal meetings with the Ravens before the draft and didn't expect them to draft him. He said new Ravens Tight Ends Coach Zack Grossi said Cuevas and Hibner will both have versatile roles.
"You're going to get a utility workhorse that can be moved around wherever they want me, knowing that I'm going to get the job done," Cuevas said. "I hope to build that trust in the coaching staff and fans as well."
The Ravens continued their history of tight end double-dips.
This is the fifth time in franchise history that the Ravens have drafted two tight ends in the same class, and it has largely worked out quite well.
- 2026 – Hibner (fourth round) and Cuevas (fifth round)
- 2022 – Kolar and Likely (fourth round)
- 2018 – Hayden Hurst (first round), Mark Andrews (third round)
- 2015 – Maxx Williams (second round), Nick Boyle (fifth round)
- 2010 – Ed Dickson (third round), Dennis Pitta (fourth round)
Often, it was the second tight end who ended up being more productive in Baltimore than the first. Time will tell this time around.
Like those before them, Hibner and Cuevas will learn from veteran franchise leader Andrews, as well as each other. They'll also challenge each other as they grow in their young careers.
"The other tight end, Matthew Hibner, and I are pretty compatible in that tight end room," Cuevas said. "We're going to work really well together and we kind of complement each other pretty well. I see them using us all over the place."
He was a late bloomer in football with a fast-rising journey.
Cuevas played just about everything growing up – baseball, basketball, tennis, and even water polo. Everything except tackle football.
"My mom let me play every sport under the sun except football," Cuevas said. "She said if you're going to play tackle football, you're going to be the biggest punter out there."
A Burbank, Calif. native, he didn't start playing tackle football until high school and it was at a small school with only about 30 players. That meant Cuevas, along with a bunch of other guys, played both ways, and it's when Cuevas fell in love with football.
He was a no-star recruit coming out of high school and started at Cal Poly, where he spent two years and was a Freshman All-American who caught 58 passes for 678 yards and six touchdowns in 2022.
He transferred to Washington and, despite making just four catches, helped them reach the national championship game as a teammate of current Ravens right tackle Roger Rosengarten.
Then Cuevas went to Alabama, where he become starter in his final season and highly respected player in one of college football's biggest programs. Cuevas hauled in 37 passes for 411 yards and four touchdowns despite missing three games with a foot injury.
He was part of an AFC North tight end run.
This year's tight end class was deep, and they flew off the board on Day 2.
Between the Ravens' picks at Nos. 45 and 80, six tight ends were drafted. After Baltimore selected wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lone, two more tight ends came off the board.
The Ravens traded up 21 spots to get Hibner in the fourth round. The next tight end run didn't start until late in the fifth, and the Ravens jumped in.
The Texans drafted Tanner Koziol at No. 164, the Steelers took Riley Nowakowski at No. 169, and then the Browns selected Joe Royer at No. 170. The Ravens followed with Cuevas three picks later.
That's an AFC North-heavy tight end run that could be looked back on years from now.
He's part of a rich history in Baltimore.
Alabama tight end has special meaning in Baltimore, considering it's where Ozzie Newsome starred as a legendary player and still holds a massive presence.
Cuevas is the first Alabama tight end the Ravens have drafted since Terry Jones in the fifth round in 2002.
General Manager Eric DeCosta made the call to Cuevas, but Newsome got on the phone soon afterwards.
"First thing he told me on the phone was 'Roll Tide,' and I knew I was in the right spot," Cuevas said.
Cuevas is only the second player DeCosta has drafted out of Alabama, following cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis in 2022. It's safe to say that Newsome approved of the pick.
