OWINGS MILLS — Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta is looking beyond the turnover issues for two of the team’s 2024 draft picks.
Running back Rasheen Ali, a fifth-round pick, had 11 fumbles over three years at Marshall.
Quarterback Devin Leary, a sixth-rounder, had 28 interceptions in 43 games at Kentucky.
DeCosta is confident the mistakes are correctible and that both players have a huge upside.
“I talked about the skills with Rasheen. He’s an explosive player,” DeCosta said. “I think one of the reasons that Rasheen – if you say he fell – he fell because he hurt his biceps. So, that’s probably one of the reasons. When we evaluate running backs, we’re looking for specific things. Certainly, ball security is one of those things, but this is an explosive guy, very shifty, good vision, [and] he runs hard – all those different things.
“As far as Devi goes, I think [quarterbacks coach] Tee Martin does an excellent job evaluating, and he thinks he’s a natural thrower. He thinks he’s an accurate passer. He loves the kid. He thinks he’s got the right mentality to come in and compete and improve.”
Ali had 1,135 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns on 212 carries over 12 games last season. He also caught 28 passes for 213 yards with another score. Ali can win a job as a backup running back while Keaton Mitchell works his way back from offseason knee surgery.
Leary, 6 feet 1, 217 pounds, finished the year completing 209 of 371 passes (56.3 percent) for 2,746 yards and 25 touchdowns, which was one short of the top five in program history and the most for a Kentucky quarterback since Andre Woodson in 2007. Leary will likely be part of the practice squad while he develops because coach John Harbaugh has already announced that Josh Johnson will be the primary backup to Lamar Jackson.
“I truly, truly believe that I throw the football not like many people in this world. [It’s] something that I pride myself on, being able to fit the football into tight windows, and then obviously just getting around the other quarterbacks,” Leary said. “Learning from them, adapting to the NFL style, learning from [quarterbacks] Coach [Tee] Martin. I want to help this team win.
“Any way possible that I can fit myself into that room, fit my role into the team that’s going to help us win more games – that’s my overall goal.”