A year ago, Orlando Brown Jr. was a rookie third-round pick who was thrown into the fire. The Ravens put him with the first-team offense from the jump, and it was either sink or swim.
Brown swam so well that he became a starter in his seventh NFL game and held onto that spot for the rest of the year.
Now, as he enters Year 2, he's an anchor at right tackle, and his goals have adjusted in turn.
"I'm striving for everything I can have," Brown said at the end of minicamp. "My personal goals are being an All-Pro, being a Pro Bowler. No sacks, no pressures, all those different things.
"As a team, I just want to win. I want to retain the AFC North championship, win playoff games and hopefully get to a Super Bowl."
According to Pro Football Focus, Brown didn't give up any sacks during his rookie year. They charged him with allowing just one quarterback hit.
But there's still a lot of room to grow, despite his 6-foot-8 frame. That growth also continues to come in the weight room. Brown, who (in good fortune for the Ravens) fell to the third round after a poor Combine performance, reported to Baltimore needing to lose weight and tone up.
Check out the action from the three days of practices.
RB Mark Ingram II
QB Robert Griffin III
TE Hayden Hurst
Team
T Ronnie Stanley
G/T Jermaine Eluemunor
LB/DB Anthony Levine Sr. and ILB Patrick Onwuasor
OLB Matthew Judon
S DeShon Elliott
RB Gus Edwards
RB Mark Ingram II
OLB Matthew Judon
QB Lamar Jackson and RB Mark Ingram II
RB De'Lance Turner
QB Robert Griffin III
WR Joe Horn Jr.
G Ben Powers
RB Justice Hill
WR Michael Floyd
QB Lamar Jackson
CB Anthony Averett
OLB Jaylon Ferguson
QB Lamar Jackson
WR Seth Roberts and CB Jimmy Smith
S Earl Thomas III
QB Lamar Jackson
WR Jaleel Scott and CB Iman Marshall
QB Marquise Brown
QB Trace McSorley
WR Quincy Adeboyejo
QB Lamar Jackson
RB Gus Edwards
Offense
WR Marquise Brown
T Marcus Applefield
LB Chris Board
S Earl Thomas III
CB Anthony Averett
TE Mark Andrews
WR Antoine Wesley
LB Kenny Young
S Tony Jefferson
T Darrell Williams
TE Hayden Hurst
DT Gerald Willis
Defense
OLB Matthew Judon
WR Willie Snead IV
WR Antoine Wesley
RB Gus Edwards
QB Lamar Jackson
TE Mark Andrews
Defense
WR Quincy Adeboyejo
ILB Otaro Alaka and RB Tyler Ervin
CB Jimmy Smith
OLB Tim Williams
T Greg Senat
RB Justice Hill
RB Mark Ingram II
QB Trace McSorley
WR Marquise Brown
WR Jordan Lasley
WR Jaylen Smith
OLB Matthew Judon
G Ben Powers
QB Lamar Jackson
RB Justice Hill and CB Anthony Averett
S Tony Jefferson
WR Antoine Wesley
FB/DL Patrick Ricard
G Patrick Vahe
QB Lamar Jackson
WR/RS Willie Snead IV
Earl Thomas III
Head Coach John Harbaugh and the Team
Team Huddle
Cornerback Prayer Circle
He now looks like a completely different player when compared to a year ago. That's what a year in the weight room under Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Steve Saunders will do. Players often make a huge jump from Year 1 to Year 2 from a physical standpoint and Brown has done just that. He trained back at Oklahoma before OTAs kicked off, and he will return there once again for the month before training camp begins.
"I feel a lot more defined, a lot stronger in the weight room," Brown said. "I've never been under 325 in my life on bench press. I hit that a few times last week. For me, I had never done anything close to that – maybe 275, 285."
What will also help Brown this season is more familiarity. He transitioned from a college left tackle to an NFL right tackle, which meant his motor skills had to be "re-developed, from the brain down to the feet, hands, and everything else that's involved," Offensive Line Coach Joe D'Alessandris said.
"That's tough. He had never played right tackle before," D'Alessandris added. "It took him a little bit to adjust, but once he developed those motor skills, he's been doing a real nice job."
Brown now has 11 starts under his belt, including one in the playoffs, where he was the Ravens' highest-graded offensive lineman.
"I'm a lot more comfortable just being out here at practice, understanding what we're doing, how we're doing it, what's expected of me, my approach and my role," Brown said. "I think that's the biggest thing for any player coming in here is understanding your role."
Brown's role is very clear now: be a dominant right tackle and pair with left tackle Ronnie Stanley to give the Ravens one of the best young bookends in the league. And maybe eat some more Steeler pancakes too.
Get a feel for the personality of this year's Ravens via these 99 portrait shots from Team Photographer Shawn Hubbard.
QB Lamar Jackson
QB Lamar Jackson
QB Robert Griffin III
QB Robert Griffin III
QB Trace McSorley
QB Trace McSorley
RB Mark Ingram II
RB Mark Ingram II
RB Gus Edwards
RB Gus Edwards
RB Kenneth Dixon
RB Kenneth Dixon
RB Justice Hill
RB Justice Hill
WR/RS Willie Snead IV
WR/RS Willie Snead IV
WR Chris Moore
WR Chris Moore
WR Seth Roberts
WR Seth Roberts
WR Michael Floyd
WR Michael Floyd
WR Marquise Brown
WR Marquise Brown
WR Miles Boykin
WR Miles Boykin
WR Jordan Lasley
WR Jordan Lasley
WR Quincy Adeboyejo
WR Quincy Adeboyejo
TE Nick Boyle
TE Nick Boyle
TE Mark Andrews
TE Mark Andrews
TE Mark Andrews
TE Hayden Hurst
TE Hayden Hurst
G/T Marshal Yanda
G/T Marshal Yanda
T Ronnie Stanley
T Ronnie Stanley
G/C Matt Skura
G/C Matt Skura
G/T Alex Lewis
G/T Alex Lewis
T Orlando Brown Jr.
T Orlando Brown Jr.
G Ben Powers
G Ben Powers
G/T Jermaine Eluemunor
G/T Jermaine Eluemunor
S Earl Thomas
S Earl Thomas
S Tony Jefferson
S Tony Jefferson
S DeShon Elliot
S DeShon Elliot
CB Jimmy Smith
CB Jimmy Smith
CB Tavon Young
CB Tavon Young
CB Justin Bethel
CB Justin Bethel
CB Maurice Canady
CB Maurice Canady
CB/RS Cyrus Jones
CB/RS Cyrus Jones
CB Anthony Averett
CB Anthony Averett
CB Iman Marshall
CB Iman Marshall
OLB Matthew Judon
OLB Matthew Judon
DB/LB Anthony Levine Sr.
DB/LB Anthony Levine Sr.
ILB Patrick Onwuasor
ILB Patrick Onwuasor
OLB Pernell McPhee
OLB Pernell McPhee
LB Kenny Young
LB Kenny Young
LB Chris Board
LB Chris Board
OLB Tyus Bowser
OLB Tyus Bowser
OLB Jaylon Ferguson
OLB Jaylon Ferguson
DT Willie Henry
DT Willie Henry
DE Chris Wormely
DE Chris Wormely
DT Daylon Mack
DT Daylon Mack
K Justin Tucker
K Justin Tucker
LS Morgan Cox
LS Morgan Cox
