The Ravens got their big-bodied wide receiver to win jump balls down the field.
Baltimore picked New Mexico State wide receiver Jaleel Scott with its third pick in the fourth round (No. 132 overall). It's their first wide receiver taken in the draft, and it comes with the Ravens' seventh selection.
"For me to be picked up by the Baltimore Ravens, that's a dream come true," Scott said. "Growing up, this was my favorite team with Jamal Lewis, the defense with Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs. I always thought I would be a defensive player growing up, so that was my favorite team."
Thankfully, Scott made the move to wide receiver, where he's a physical monster standing in at 6-foot-5, 218 pounds. That's rare size and length for the position that helps him make contested catches.
A late bloomer who took the junior college route, Scott broke out with a massive senior season of 76 catches for 1,079 yards and nine touchdowns last year.
Scott's one-handed catch against Arizona State was one of the best plays of the college season and showed his red-zone ability.
"That was my breakout," Scott said.
"I got so much confidence [last year]. I worked. Everything that happened that senior year is because of my hard work and the hard things I did off the field that nobody saw."
Scott was recruited by Maryland and Kentucky coming out of Rock Hill High School in South Carolina, but he didn't qualify academically and ended up at Ellsworth Community College for three years.
He went to New Mexico State in 2016 and immediately led the team with five touchdown catches. He took an even larger role the next season and became a first-team All-Sun Belt selection.
"You can't ever give up on yourself," Scott said. "Nobody is ever going to give you anything. You have to work to get everything you want in this world. My dad preached that to me growing up and it made me the man I am today."
The Ravens' wide receiver makeover wasn't going to be complete without a rookie, and Scott's size and style complements what Baltimore already has in the room.
"He brings a different dimension to the type of receiver in the group – a 6-foot-5 guy that can make unbelievable catches," Newsome said. "I think if the ball is thrown in the area code, he can come away with it."
