Teddye Buchanan's rookie season ended on the shelf, but he doesn't plan on staying there for long as he approaches his sophomore year.
Speaking to fans at M&T Bank Stadium on the first night of the draft, the Ravens inside linebacker gave an update on his return from last year's torn ACL in his knee.
"The rehab process is going great. Right on schedule, if not ahead of schedule," Buchanan said on “The Lounge” podcast.
"I'm feeling healthy, getting back to doing things that I'm used to doing. Just taking it one day at a time, not trying to look too far forward, but I'm definitely feeling good about it."
Buchanan's rookie season ended on Dec. 14 in Cincinnati. He had started 13 of the Ravens' 14 games and posted 93 tackles, which were at that point the second-most on the team behind Roquan Smith.
Despite a shortened season, Buchanan was still named to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team.
"It was a blessing to get a year under my belt, a year where I was thrown into the fire as a young guy," Buchanan said.
"I'm super grateful for that year. It was a year of excitement, a year of joy, a year of challenge, but I feel like I came away from that year a better and improved person."
Buchanan said he knew he was "cut out for" the NFL when, in the first half of his first game, he made a third-down tackle to force a field goal in Buffalo.
"As the season went on, not only did I feel that I belonged, but that I could be a good player," Buchanan said.
The Ravens didn't draft an inside linebacker with any of their 11 picks, an indication that they feel pretty good about the status of that group, led by four-time Pro Bowler Smith. Trenton Simpson is entering his fourth season and could have a dynamic role in new Head Coach Jesse Minter's scheme.
It's too soon to say when Buchanan will be back on the field, but he's eager after missing the final three games of his rookie season.
"It was tough. Mostly, you feel like you just want to be a part of the team," Buchanan said. "We were pushing for the playoffs, so there was a lot still left on the table. Not to be a part of that, playing directly on the field, was a challenge."
