The Ravens held their first of two mandatory minicamp practices Tuesday and Head Coach John Harbaugh said he was pleased with the day's work.
Here are 10 observations from practice:
1. Veterans Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams and Marcus Peters practiced for the first time this offseason now that it's mandatory minicamp. Derek Wolfe is the only "healthy" veteran who did not suit up because he's dealing with a recent bout of pneumonia. Cornerback Tavon Young returned to the field for the first time since last year's season-ending knee injury.
2. The Ravens' secondary won the day with multiple interceptions and several near-picks. Anthony Averett and Peters picked off Lamar Jackson during 11-on-11 work. To be fair, one came when Rashod Bateman slipped and Jackson felt there was interference on the second. Averett nearly got a second one later in practice. Rookie defensive back Brandon Stephens intercepted Trace McSorley on a sailed pass over the middle and cornerback Chris Westry came down with a deep shot by Tyler Huntley.
3. Safety Chuck Clark and second-year cornerback Khalil Dorsey almost came down with picks, too. Dorsey particularly flashed during the practice. The second-year former undrafted product out of Northern Arizona saw action in six games last season and is pushing for a roster spot again this year. After practice, Head Coach John Harbaugh talked about the great competition among young cornerbacks.
4. First-round wide receiver Rashod Bateman had a busy day with ups and downs. Near the start of practice, he shook Marlon Humphrey with a nasty inside juke release that got the rookie wide receiver wide open for what would have been a long touchdown. But Bateman also slipped on another route that led to an interception not long after. He smoothly hauled in a pass over the middle only to drop a quick pass to the outside on the next play. Bateman capped the day with a beautiful leaping touchdown grab in the back of the end zone during a red-zone drill. While Bateman's polish, especially running routes, continues to be impressive, it's important to remember he's still a rookie and fans should have some patience as he acclimates himself.
5. Veteran Sammy Watkins had the play of the day when he hauled in a corner fade in the end zone with his fingertips and toe-tapped for the score. Making it even more impressive is that it came against Humphrey, who was all over him in coverage. With 33 career touchdowns, the veteran definitely has some red-zone savvy.
6. Watkins also caught a bomb from Jackson for what would have been a long touchdown, but Jackson's throw was the more impressive part of the play. He flicked it while stepping up in the pocket and still put it right on the money.
7. Jackson still finds his most consistent success throwing to tight end Mark Andrews. It's almost seems unfair how strong their connection is.
8. Speaking of wide receivers, because we all know that's what you want to hear about, James Proche II was very active in practice. The second-year wideout is very shifty over the middle and shined in red-zone work.
9. Nobody is going to worry about Justin Tucker, though he's probably not happy after missing back-to-back rushed kicks from 48 and 52 yards. For the record, he also drilled one high through the uprights from 50-plus yards earlier in practice.
10. Besides the interceptions, the offense had some other hiccups that it will be looking to clean up. There were false starts, including one center Bradley Bozeman tapped his own chest on when he didn't snap the ball on time.
