The Baltimore Ravens won their second straight divisional title in the grueling AFC North last season. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had his best passing season from a statistical standpoint, compiling career highs in passing yards (4,172), touchdowns (41) and quarterback rating (119.6).
Despite the impressive regular season performance, Jackson’s postseason struggles returned to haunt him once again. His costly turnovers in the divisional round proved to be too much for Baltimore to overcome in a heartbreaking 27-25 loss against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
Baltimore began their journey to Super Bowl LX with the start of rookie minicamp on Saturday, and there is hope that the team’s new additions will help it get over its hurdles to reach the mountaintop in 2025. While the Ravens will look to get immediate contributions from first-round safety Malaki Starks and second-round defensive end Mike Green, their most impressive minicamp performance could be from the offensive side of the ball.
Ravens developmental tackle could have a bright future ahead
Baltimore used three draft picks on offensive linemen to provide some protection for their two-time MVP quarterback, but Alabama A&M offensive tackle Carson Vinson could prove to be the most promising prospect of the bunch.
Vinson already made history when he was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He became Alabama A&M’s first player drafted since 2011 and first offensive player drafted in more than 30 years, as well as the only HBCU prospect selected since the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft, per the Ravens team website.
While players from smaller programs can often go unnoticed, Vinson made a strong impression on Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and offensive line coach George Warhop during his pre-draft visit in Baltimore, per Sports Illustrated.
The 6-foot 7, 321-pound tackle was lightly recruited out of high school but quickly proved himself during his time at Alabama A&M. He remained loyal to the school even when he began receiving interest from North Carolina, his hometown school. During his five years as a starting left tackle, he emerged as one of the top non-FBS prospects in this year’s class.
Despite coming from a small program, Vinson proved that he’s capable of handling elite competition with impressive outings in his matchups against Vanderbilt and Auburn. He was the only HBCU player invited to the Senior Bowl, where he put together an impressive performance. During Senior Bowl practices, Vinson was praised for stonewalling Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart, who was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Vinson will need to add more mass before he becomes a starting tackle, but he should find time to develop behind starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley, starting right tackle Roger Rosengarten and swing tackle Joseph Noteboom.