It's early, but all signs are trending in a positive direction in the Ravens' rookie kicker competition.
Who will take that mantle? That question remains.
Sixth-round pick Tyler Loop and undrafted rookie John Hoyland shared kicking responsibilities during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp.
Loop, the first kicker to be drafted by the Ravens in franchise history, is the favorite based on draft position. Hoyland, on the other hand, hasn't let Loop run away with the job.
Both Loop and Hoyland have been tinkering with their trajectories and technique, Head Coach John Harbaugh said at the conclusion of mandatory minicamp. While the duo continues to work on its craft, Harbaugh has liked what he's seen.
"I think the biggest thing is to try to put them in tough situations as much as we can," Harbaugh said.
"All those things I think add up, and then the end result with all that going on has been really good. So, a good, solid job. And again, we'll pick it up in training camp."
Harbaugh added that both kickers have been working with Senior Special Teams Coach Randy Brown on being more consistent with their form. The Ravens have also been charting where all of the kicks end up.
"They're both doing a good job with that and actually pick it up really quickly," Harbaugh said. "[Tyler] is just kind of a natural athlete, so he's picking it up quick. Now it's just a matter of doing it over and over again."
Neither kicker was perfect in OTAs or minicamp, but both have showcased their abilities.
Hoyland was accurate during most practices and had a 4-for-4 day on the first day of minicamp. Loop drilled several long kicks, including a 60-yarder during OTAs that Harbaugh said he "made easily" down the middle of the goalposts.
The performance in OTAs and mandatory minicamp came after Harbaugh said he was already impressed with both kickers during rookie minicamp.
"I think as much as anything, it's good to hear a kicker, and the way the ball comes off [Loop's] foot is impressive, and both kickers, I thought, looked really good today," Harbaugh said.
The Ravens are looking to fill the shoes of Justin Tucker, who they released earlier this offseason after 13 years with the team. The last time the Ravens had a rookie kicker was Tucker's first year in the league, when he beat out veteran Billy Cundiff and helped Baltimore win Super Bowl XLVII.
It'll be a tall task to replace the league's most accurate kicker of all time, but Loop is no stranger to the spotlight. At Arizona, the Lucas, Texas native converted a game-winning, 24-yard field goal against Colorado as time expired. A month later, he drilled a school record 62-yard field goal against Houston.
Hoyland, a Wyoming product, can also boot it from distance when he needs to. He nailed a 55-yarder in 2022 and finished his five-year collegiate career making 79.3% of his field-goal attempts and 99.3% of his extra points.
Regardless of how well either kicker performs on the practice field, Harbaugh knows the real test will come when the pads come on for training camp and the preseason.
"I don't think you're ever going to really know," Harbaugh said after rookie minicamp. "Everything guys do in their first year is like a new day. So, if it's a kicker, every kick is going to be the first time he's done it over the course of his rookie season. So, it's always going to be a little bit of – certainly going to be an unknown. Whenever you go with the rookie kicker, that would be an unknown."
