Ravens Rookie Isaiah Likely Will Likely Be Red Zone Target

Tight end has been dominant.
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens rookie tight end Isaiah Likely has put on quite a performance throughout the first two weeks of training camp. 

He might have been the best offensive player. 

Likely was even more dominant during the red-zone drills and he will inevitably become a favorite target for quarterback Lamar Jackson. 

One on play Likely beat safety Geno Stone for a touchdown near the middle of the end zone. 

On the next play, he outran rookie linebacker Diego Fagot and just kept his feet in bounds. Fagot protested that Likely was out-of-bounds and got an earful from the tight end. 

"Isaiah [Likely] looked really good in his red zone drills," Harbaugh said. "He had two back-to-back touchdown catches there against tight man coverage, and he was gassed. He was fighting through the heat, he was really winded and he still came up and made the play. That was impressive.”

Isaiah Likely
Isaiah Likely

The Ravens will use Likely's versatility because he can get downfield like a wide receiver.

He will create complete mismatches against opposing linebackers and is big and strong enough to fight off safeties.

The Ravens might have gotten a steal by selecting Likely in the fourth round of this year's draft. 

"[Harbaugh] just understood that my versatility was really unmatched," Likely said. "I come to a unique offense like the Ravens where you have a great quarterback in Lamar Jackson and really just a bunch of pieces, and then you have a Pro Bowler in Mark Andrews. 

"Just being able to learn under him and be able to just do what I do on the football field is what I bring to the Ravens.” 


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Todd Karpovich
TODD KARPOVICH

Twitter: @toddkarpovich Email: todd.karpovich@gmail.com Skype: todd.karpovich Todd Karpovich has been a contributor for ESPN, Forbes, the Associated Press, Lindy's, and The Baltimore Sun, among other media outlets nationwide. He is the co-author of “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Baltimore Ravens Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box,” “Skipper Supreme: Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles,” and the author of “Manchester United (Europe's Best Soccer Clubs).” Karpovich, a Baltimore native, is a graduate of Calvert Hall College high school, Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, and has a Masters of Science from Towson University.