The Ravens added more competition to their center spot, drafting hard-nosed Alabama center Bradley Bozeman in the sixth round.
Baltimore has an open starting center position after Ryan Jensen was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency.
Matt Skura, who filled in for Marshal Yanda at guard last year, is the leading contender, but will be pushed by Bozeman.
Bozeman has excellent size at 6-foot-5, 316 pounds. That's an inch taller and three pounds lighter than Jensen. He pairs that size with a lot of toughness and good movement to work to the second level.
"This guy from Alabama, he's a big, physical center," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "We like those guys."
A top center prospect coming out of high school in Alabama, Bozeman first played guard, so he brings some position flexibility.
After Ryan Kelly became a first-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2016, Bozeman stepped into the starting job. In his senior season, he garnered second-team All-SEC honors, starting all 14 games for the national champions.
Bozeman made headlines after the national championship victory by dropping to a knee and proposing to his girlfriend on the field.
In General Manager Ozzie Newsome's final draft, he's now picked two players from his alma mater, as Bozeman joins cornerback Anthony Averett. The Ravens also picked two Alabama players (cornerback Marlon Humphrey and linebacker Tim Williams) last year.
"It was more about them as players than that they're from the University of Alabama," Newsome said. "But it doesn't hurt that they're from there."
