Ravens Coach Explains Rookie LB Pick

The Baltimore Ravens are going back to what's familiar with one of their new draft picks.

Jeremy Brener | May 7, 2024

Feb 29, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State defensive lineman Adisa Isaac (DL35) works out / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

It's a common practice for NFL teams to draft players from the same colleges over the course of a few years, and the Baltimore Ravens have joined in on that strategy.

After taking Penn State's Odafe Oweh in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Ravens double dipped by adding another Nittany Lion in Adisa Isaac in the third round of this year's draft.

"Going to your players for feedback for guys that they've played with, we absolutely do that," coach John Harbaugh said. "That might be the most important one, more so even than the coach. You get a guy that played with somebody, sometimes you'll ask other teammates on a team, 'Who would you bring with you? What player would you bring with you if you could?' And you get a really good answer that way, too. Of course, Odafe [Oweh], he loved Adisa Isaac. He just loved him, and you can see why."

The Ravens took another step of commitment with Oweh by accepting his fifth-year player option last week, which will keep him under contract with Baltimore for the next two seasons. Oweh is going to be key for Isaac's success and development as he becomes almost like a shadow considering the very similar career paths.

The Ravens hope that the same type of development they have seen with Oweh will translate with Isaac, and that the pair can go after opposing quarterbacks in Baltimore for years to come.

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Published May 7, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.