Ravens Training Camp Notebook Day 3: Sammy Watkins On The Rise

Newly acquired wide receiver shines.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Sammy Watkins got separation from his defender and made a diving catch in the corner of the end zone. 

Those types of plays have been common for Watkins, who has been the most impressive wide receiver at Ravens training camp. 

"He’s a pro. He’s been there before," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "He’s a fourth [overall] pick in the Draft. He’s a talented guy. He loves ball. He has lot of insight for those guys. The other thing is his competitiveness. [His] play-to-play competitiveness [and] his size. He’s a physical guy. I think he’s excited about the program here in terms of work ethic. 

"I think he sees some things here that are going to give him an opportunity to maybe take a step he hasn’t taken the last few years with what he’s doing physically to get his body right. We’ll see how he does.”

.@sammywatkins on keeping his body healthy: pic.twitter.com/mRxK30WEZc

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) July 29, 2021

Watkins can create matchup problems because of his speed and physicality. He has been dominant against the Ravens' defensive backs.

The ball has rarely touched the grass when it's thrown to him. 

“It was always tough going against him," Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith said. "We talk it about it; our lockers are close. That dude is fast. He’s going to bring a lot of plays to our team." 

Other highlights from Day 3:

• Rookie wide receiver Rashod Bateman had a leaping catch over Pro-Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey on a fade route for a touchdown. Bateman has been solid over the first three days of camp and is in line for extensive playing time,  

• Tight end Mark Andrews made his first big play of the week, hauling in a touchdown reception on coverage from inside linebacker Patrick Queen.

• Backup quarterback Trace McSorley continues to shine and had three touchdown passes in red-zone drills. 

• Undrafted rookie safety Ar'Darius Washington continued to help his cause for making the roster and had been a ball hawk throughout camp and had a couple of effective blitzes. 

• Cornerback Marcus Peters was back at practice after missing the previous day because of a toenail issue. He gave his clears to a young fan. 

A young fan gets Sammy Watkins' Adidas cleats. 

• Cornerback Anthony Averett was finally able to practice after passing his conditioning test.

• Nigel Warrior is making the transition from safety to cornerback and had an interception. 

• Marquise Brown left practice early Thursday for an undisclosed issue and was not present Friday. "I would say that’s precautionary in nature," Harbaugh said.