When inside linebacker Jay Higgins IV was told he made the 53-man roster, he bent over and caught his breath in front of General Manager Eric DeCosta.
"I was lightheaded, for sure," Higgins said. "When he told me, I was just really surprised. You hear your dream come true and you're standing up, I guess my legs were locked out, so I should have had a slight bend in the knee."
Nobody blamed Higgins, or defensive backs Reuben Lowery III and Keyon Martin for being overwhelmed. For all three undrafted rookies to make the Ravens' opening 53-man roster speaks to their talent, character, and unshakable belief they could beat the odds.
Neither DeCosta nor Head Coach John Harbaugh expected three undrafted defensive players to make this year's roster. But watching how hard they worked, and how well they played, the Ravens' decision-makers were swayed by the undeniable truth.
"They earned it," DeCosta said. "For three guys to make it speaks to what those young men did. You look at those guys and look at what they did, the production, the big plays and just the consistency. How could they not be on the team?"
Jay Higgins IV
Higgins' preseason highlights included aninterception against the Indianapolis Colts and a strip sack against the Dallas Cowboys.
The inside linebacker from Iowa signed with the Ravens partly because he was familiar with their history of giving undrafted rookies a legitimate look. The more they saw, the more they liked. In addition to adding depth to the inside linebacker room led Roquan Smith, Higgins played special teams at Iowa and will do the same with Baltimore.
For now, being a Raven is still sinking in. Hearing the emotion in his father's voice when calling to share the news is a moment he will never forget.
"When it comes to my family and anything to do with success, my dad is super emotional," Higgins said. "It took me three years to be a starting linebacker [at Iowa], but I was running down on kickoffs, and you would've thought I was the Butkus [Award] winner based on his presence on social media.
"I was doing really good in college, and everything was good, then the Combine came around, and the draft came around, and it was just kind of hard on me [being undrafted]. I was having real conversations with myself after the draft about if football's in my future, if I need to go do something else. But if you would've asked him after the draft, he knew this day was going to happen. Just knowing I've got a father like that in my corner, I think that's what the video showed."
Reuben Lowery III
Lowery, who plays both corner and safety, braced himself when he was summoned to DeCosta's office for the verdict. He was a dean’s list student in mechanical engineering at Tennessee-Chattanooga, so Lowery is used to passing tests. But hearing DeCosta say he had made the team was still surreal.
"I haven't actually digested the moment yet, but I think that's also a good thing, not to stay complacent in this moment, but to continue to work," Lowery said. "One day or one moment, I'm going to definitely look back on it and be like, 'Wow, this is insane.'"
Lowery started making plays in the spring and kept on throughout the summer, including a leaping interception against the Cowboys in the preseason. His mastery oh the playbook allowed him to play fast no matter where the Ravens placed him in the secondary.
Instead of worrying about whether he would make the team, Lowery stayed in the moment, which showed in his play. He was confident and played like he belonged, and now he does.
"When you put all your work you can do, everything you can give each and every single day, that you can be at peace with whatever decision is made," Lowery said. "I'm at peace right now."
Keyon Martin
Martin, who played at Louisianna-Lafayette, may have been the longest of the longshots who made the roster. He didn't receive an initial invitation to rookie minicamp and had to try out for a spot.
The Ravens are extremely deep at corner, but Martin's ability to play corner and nickel and his uncanny instincts for playmaking were his keys to making the roster. His pick-six against the Washington Commanders showed his ability to diagnose a play quickly while trusting his instincts.
Martin thought he was getting cut when he was called into DeCosta's office. But as he walked up the stairs, he saw Lowery leaving the office and could tell Lowery had made the team. They hugged, having shared so many moments together as undrafted rookies in the secondary who were competing against each other. Now, they will share moments as teammates on the 53.
"I was like, 'Yeah man, we did it!' because we both came in with the same mindset," Martin said. "He came in the same way, even though he signed right after the draft [with] no signing of bonus and at the bottom of the depth chart. So, it was just a joy just to see him accomplish that, too.
"It was just destined for me to be at the Ravens. The Ravens were the only one that called me, so I only had one tryout. It was pretty hard on me. I'm not going to lie, being honest, coming out right after the draft and realizing that nobody was going to sign me. But once I got that call about the rookie minicamp, I'm like, 'Alright, it's on me now.' I just had to come out here and prove it."
