First Look At Marlon Humphrey In Madden
Marlon Humphrey now knows what he looks like in video game form.
EA Sports put together a Madden rendering of Humphrey in a Ravens jersey, which was released on Tuesday. Check out the GIF below to see how Baltimore's first-round pick looks in the purple and black.
This is actually the first time Humphrey can see himself in a video game. EA Sports used to make NCAA Football games every year, but the series was halted after the 2013 season because of legal disputes between EA Sports and the NCAA for using the images and likenesses of college athletes.
Humphrey arrived on Alabama's campus in 2014, the first year without the video game.
Now Humphrey will be able to suit up as himself when the new version of Madden is released sometime this summer. And the Madden ratings will come out over the next few months, so stay tuned for those.
Behind The Scenes Of T.J. Onwuanibe's Draft Day
Perhaps the best moment of draft weekend was getting to see 14-year-old T.J. Onwuanibe announce the Ravens' first-round selection of Humphrey.
Onwuanibe is a survivor of a rare form of brain cancer, and Make-A-Wish arranged for him to travel to Philadelphia to announce Baltimore's top pick. Onwuanibe had a whirlwind day in Philadelphia, where he took in a variety of draft events, made an appearance on SportsCenter and was surprised by Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta.
It all culminated with the announcement of Humphrey.
Before making the pick, Sports Illustrated had video cameras backstage in the green room to capture T.J.'s nervousness leading up to the moment. T.J. even got some encouragement from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
When they finally walked to the podium for the real deal, the two were initially greeted by a smattering of boos. That's when Goodell reminded T.J., "Don't worry, buddy, they're not booing you." T.J. responded, "I know," and the boos quickly turned to cheers.
TJ Onwuanibe, a 14-year-old survivor of a rare brain cancer, had a once-in-a-lifetime experience at the NFL draft: https://t.co/W1H2X7fDuK pic.twitter.com/UHQhawFdSm — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 2, 2017
What's Going To Happen On The Offensive Line?
The future of Baltimore's offensive line remains a bit of a mystery after the draft.
The Ravens took a pair of linemen in San Diego State's Nico Siragusa and Texas A&M's Jermaine Eluemunor on the third day, but they may not be ready to start right away. Baltimore has open spots at center and right tackle, and Russell Street Report’s Brian Bower predicted that last year's left guard, Alex Lewis, will make the move to the right side.
"Sure there are many questions, and the lack of answers is frustrating, but these things have a way of sorting themselves out in due time," Bower wrote. "The likely scenario is that, because of Lewis' flexibility, he will man the right tackle assignment come Week 1 of the regular season."
If Lewis moves to right tackle, the Ravens would then have to replace him at left guard and still have the open center spot. John Urschel and Ryan Jensen will compete for the center job, and Siragusa could emerge as the starting left guard if the Ravens like what they see in him this offseason.
Bower also said he wouldn't be surprised to see the Ravens add a veteran lineman to the mix before the season.
"The Ravens always have a play," Bower wrote. "While some fans will say it's not the right play, they always seem to have one. The likelihood of adding a free agent right tackle or even center is decent. Once the brass gets a better look at their offensive linemen on the football field it will tell them if they still need to make OL a priority before camp starts."
Department Of Defense Policy Change Does Not Apply To Reynolds
There won't be any service academy graduates following Keenan Reynolds' path to the NFL this year.
The Department of Defense announced a policy change this week that requires potential professional athletes who graduate from service academies to serve a minimum commitment of two years in the military. The new requirement rescinded a policy put into place last year that allowed Reynolds, a Naval Academy graduate, to immediately pursue an NFL career upon graduation.
The rule change will not affect Reynolds, who has already received clearance to pursue an NFL career. Reynolds is currently on Baltimore's practice squad and working to make the transition to receiver from college quarterback.
Quick Hits
