Marlon Humphrey is proving to be a quick study.
The Ravens' first-round draft pick had an impressive showing in Friday's training camp practice, as he brought down a pair of interceptions and also broke up two other passes. He flashed his speed, athleticism, instincts and ball skills during the second practice of training camp, making it clear why the Ravens used the No. 16 overall pick on him.
"He made a great step today," Secondary Coach Chris Hewitt said. "Those are the things I want to see him continue to keep on doing, is making those plays on the ball."
Both of Humphrey's interceptions came when he was defending wide receiver Breshad Perriman. On the first pick, Humphrey had tight coverage on Perriman and then had a perfectly timed break on the ball to come up with the interception. It was one of the most impressive plays of the day.
He caught the second interception late in practice and he nearly had a third on a pass intended for wide receiver Mike Wallace in the end zone. Humphrey has matched up against just about every receiver on the roster, and he's consistently shown an ability to run with the speedsters Wallace and Perriman.
"It's very encouraging," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "To me, results follow the process. And he's been paying attention to detail with technique, and trying to do things the way we're coaching him to do them. He combines that with talent – he's very smart – so that's what you look for, those kind of results."
Here were some of the other notes from the day:
- Tight end Crockett Gillmore left practice early with a leg injury. He went down attempting to catch a pass and immediately grabbed his knee. He then went directly to the training room with the training staff. Harbaugh did not have an update on his status after practice.
- Second-year linebacker Kamalei Correa has been impressive to start the week. He had an interception Thursday and then brought down another Friday on the first play of full-team drills. He's out to prove he's ready for the starting job, and plays like that are a good sign.
- Wallace made a nice play against cornerback Jimmy Smith in one-on-one drills early in practice. He beat the top cornerback on a deep route down the sidelines and caught the pass as he crossed into the end zone. Wallace then threw the ball into a nearby fence (as he's known to do) and started talking some trash to Smith.
- Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin was more involved in the action. He caught a few passes in full-team drills after having a quiet first day.
- Second-year defensive lineman Michael Pierce is impossible to block in one-on-one situations. He barreled through Ryan Jensen and Brandon Kublanow in drills, and he also knifed through the middle of the defense on a couple of occasions in full-team work.
- Some of the other young defensive linemen also had a nice day. Carl Davis and Willie Henry both flashed in team drills by working their way into the backfield, and Bronson Kaufusi is getting a chance to show what he can do. Kaufusi, 6-6 and 285 pounds, is an imposing defender, but he's also shown good agility after recovering from last year's broken ankle.
- Outside linebacker Matthew Judon made one of the nice plays of the day when he brought down an interception. He was running away from the line of scrimmage when he turned for the football and made a leaping grab. It was an impressive move for an outside linebacker.
