Before suffering a season-ending knee injury in October, Oregon tight end Jake Breeland was on his way to having a huge year. Breeland didn't get drafted, but he is getting an opportunity with the Ravens, who have officially signed him.
Playing six games prior to his injury, Breeland was named to the Associated Press Midseason All-American Team after catching 26 passes for 405 yards and six touchdowns, showing versatility as both a pass catcher and run blocker.
Unfortunately, Breeland tore his left ACL and meniscus against Colorado and was not ready to participate in on-field drills at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. It also meant a player that could have been a mid-round pick fell out of the draft entirely.
The March trade that sent tight end Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons creates an opportunity for the 6-foot-5, 252-pound Breeland. At least one undrafted rookie has made Baltimore's Week 1 roster for 16 straight years.
The Ravens did not draft a tight end but have officially signed Breeland and Eli Wolf of Georgia to compete at the position behind Mark Andrews and Nick Boyle.
After the draft, General Manager Eric DeCosta met with his neighbor, Head Coach John Harbaugh, as they stood across the fence from each other. DeCosta referred to "two awesome tight ends" the Ravens had signed following the draft.
During an April 9 interview with TheSpun.com, Breeland said he was almost fully recovered from his knee injury and would be ready to take the field this summer.
