Football was back in action on Thursday night as the 2018 Hall of Fame Game is in the books. What did we learn from the Baltimore Ravens in the 17-16 win?
The first game of the 2018 preseason is in the books as the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Chicago Bears, 17-16 on Thursday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
This game was much anticipated, even if the starters for both teams didn’t see the field during the Hall of Fame Game. However, if you are a fan of young talent, there was plenty on display in this one.
Here is what we learned.
Orlando Brown is going to be just fine
Orlando Brown was supposed to be a first-round draft pick this year. In almost every single mock draft prior to the Combine, he was going to be one of the first one or two tackles off the board. Then the Combine happened, and Brown had one of the worst performances ever, causing him to fall to the third round to the Ravens.
After watching the Hall of Fame Game, it seems like general manger Ozzie Newsome did it again. The Ravens may have stolen an actual first-round talent in the third round. For Joe Flacco’s sake, the Ravens have to get better on the right side of the offensive line. Hopefully, Brown can be the answer to this problem.
Lamar Jackson is an elite athlete
Okay, we already knew Lamar Jackson was athletic, but playing in the NCAA is different than playing in the NFL. A lot of times, you see a guy who is quick in college struggle to run away from defensive lineman in the NFL. Not Jackson. This guy looks freaky fast.
He also looks like he has a tremendous arm as he was zipping the ball all over the field. What we have heard coming into the draft and out of camp is that Jackson struggles with accuracy. We saw evidence of the accuracy issues Thursday night as he only completed 40 percent of his passes and added one interception. If Jackson works out his accuracy issues and figures everything out mentally as a rookie in the NFL, he could be a star in the making.
Don’t forget about Kamalei Correa
With all the young linebacker talent on the Ravens roster, some excellent football players can get lost and even forgotten. On Thursday night in the Hall of Fame Game, Kamalei Correa’s play was screaming for attention.
Correa was all over the field, and it shows by how he was filling up the stat sheet. Correa had seven tackles (all solo), one tackle for loss, three sacks and one forced fumble on a strip sack. In coverage, he added an interception and two pass deflections. It does not matter who your opponent is, that is an outstanding stat line.
On Thursday night, Correa proved he could play in coverage, rush the passer and stop the run. Even with all the talent the Ravens have on the defensive side of the ball, it’s going to very difficult to keep this guy off the field.