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Mailbag: Who Has Been Shining in Training Camp?

WR Devontez Walker
WR Devontez Walker

Mink: The Ravens have had a good start to camp, so I could list a bunch of players here. I'll limit myself to five. So far, my top five would be wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Devontez Walker, running back Keaton Mitchell, inside linebacker Roquan Smith, and cornerback Jaire Alexander.

Hopkins' sticky hands have been impressive, and he made the catch of camp so far with a one-handed touchdown grab in the back of the end zone, even though a questionable offensive pass interference was called. Walker shined in the past two padded practices, making several nifty snags, including a touchdown over Nate Wiggins. Back to full strength from his rookie knee injury, Mitchell looks supercharged and has still stood out even since the pads have come on.

Smith is all over the field for the defense, looking perhaps even faster than in previous years. He made one of the best defensive plays of camp, tracking down a deep ball intended for Justice Hill for a pass breakup. Alexander has practiced well and brought a different swagger/energy to training camp.

Brown: A spot on the initial 53-man roster isn't guaranteed for Bilhal Kone, Robert Longerbeam, or Reuben Lowery. If the cornerback depth chart is healthy when final cuts are made, it's going to be difficult for more than two of them to make it. They need to excel on special teams and in preseason games to secure a spot.

If I had to choose between Kone, Longerbeam, or Lowery right now, I'd give Kone the slight edge. I think he's been solid during his reps, and he was the Ravens' top sixth-round pick, meaning they liked him coming out of the draft. He needs to get back on the field after suffering a shoulder injury, however.

But Lowery is a player to watch. The undrafted rookie was a playmaker throughout OTAs and minicamps, and that has carried over into training camp. He needs to continue that momentum over the next month, but I think Lowery has given himself a realistic shot to make the roster.

Two other undrafted rookies are underdogs but still in the mix, I believe — John Hoyland, who's competing with Tyler Loop to be the kicker, and inside linebacker Jay Higgins.

Mink: Cooper Rush has made some good throws, but I wouldn't say he's made many "wow" plays yet. His best throw of camp was dropping a long bomb into the waiting hands of running back Rasheen Ali.

Rush is still getting accustomed to Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken's offense after spending his first seven seasons in Dallas. Perhaps most importantly, Rush hasn't made many glaring mistakes, such as bad interceptions. Teams are looking for solid play from their backup quarterback and I believe Rush can deliver that if called upon.

Brown: With 90 players scattered across three fields, you're correct in saying that there's plenty of action vying for Head Coach John Harbaugh's attention.

Every practice is carefully scripted, and I think Harbaugh enters each day with certain things he plans to focus on.

Considering Harbaugh's special teams expertise, he may be more heavily involved in that phase of practice than many head coaches, and that won’t change this summer. Once the special teams phase ends, you can usually find Harbaugh watching the first-team offense and defense intently whenever they are going through play installation, 7-on-7, or 11-on-11 periods.

Keep in mind that each practice session is videotaped, broken down into different parts, and analyzed by the entire staff. If there's something Harbaugh didn't see live, he and the staff can review it thoroughly later.

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