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Vanderbilt Head Coach Clark Lea has quite a few Ravens connections at this point. He knew Head Coach Jesse Minter and All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton several years before they rose to prominence in the NFL, and coached undrafted Ravens rookie quarterback Diego Pavia the past two seasons.
Minter served as Lea’s defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt in 2021, and Lea coached Hamilton for two seasons (2019-2020) when he was Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator.
Lea reflected on his time with Minter, Hamilton, and Pavia during an appearance on “Glenn Clark Radio.” Here are some highlights from the conversation:
Working with Minter and why he will be a successful NFL head coach: “I was so impressed with how Jesse evolved as a coordinator throughout the season, the way he was able to organize the staff to be efficient. It just felt like there was such growth and learning going on. He always had an instinct for playcalling, and I felt like that allowed us to win games. … Subtle adjustments he’d made, subtle calls he’d make, ways that he could kind of anticipate what was next offensively.
“The other thing that so impressed me was as the year wasn’t going well, he never lost his energy, his enthusiasm, his confidence, and he was as good as any coach that I’ve been around at contextualizing the moment for the team. … I’m so excited for him. I know this is a new challenge, and like any new challenge, there’s going to be unseen adversity ahead, but this is a really smart guy who treats people the right way, who is a very skilled football coach who I believe will be wildly successful in Baltimore.”
When he first realized how Hamilton was special: “Honestly, when I watched his high school film. At the time, he wasn’t necessarily a highly regarded recruit. I thought I was out of my mind. It was probably the best tape I’d seen in a long time. And sure enough, he got his recruiting due as the year went. It didn’t take long when he showed up on campus. He arrived in the summer, and I think the first day of training camp he had three interceptions, and the rest is history. What a special guy. What a special person first, and obviously he’s one of one as a player.”
On Pavia joining the Ravens: “I always say this when talking about him: The world doesn’t need a watered-down Diego Pavia. This is a guy who lives with great integrity. He believes in himself, he has confidence. He walks the walk and he talks the talk. All that combined is what allowed him to have such an incredible impact [at Vanderbilt]. … This is a guy who cares much and feels much. He’s the real deal, and I’m so glad to see him get an opportunity because he’s earned this, and to have it be with the Ravens is obviously extra meaningful to me.”
The Ravens got wide receiver Elijah Sarratt in the fourth round, but don’t be surprised if the Day 3 pick makes a significant impact this season.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton included Sarratt on his list of six rookie wide receivers who will outplay their draft value.
Moton noted that Sarratt’s particular skill set could give him the edge over third-round wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane as they compete for targets behind Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman.
“Lane is a big-play receiver, while Sarratt projects as a physical chain-mover, though the latter produced with more consistency in college at James Madison and Indiana,” Moton wrote. “In that spot, he’ll face less competition for snaps than Lane on the perimeter. The Ravens can deploy Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Sarratt in three-receiver sets.
“Also, with the departure of Isaiah Likely in free agency, Sarratt could see more looks in the red zone behind tight end Mark Andrews.”
ESPN’s Matt Bowen identified 15 rookies who landed in an ideal spot. It should come as no surprise that first-round guard Vega Ioane was among them.
“Ioane had a blown block rate of only 1.6% on 306 rushing snaps in 2025,” Bowen wrote. “He’s a physical mauler who can move defensive players at the point of attack and use his quick feet to pull/reach.
“That works for new Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle, who will bring elements of [Chicago Bears Head Coach] Ben Johnson’s run game to Baltimore – think zone and gap concepts. Plus, Ioane has the anchor to take on power rushers (two pressures allowed in 2025), keeping the pocket firm for quarterback Lamar Jackson.”
The Ravens had one of the most dominant Super Bowl runs ever 😤 pic.twitter.com/oeLFkEnROp
Chad Alexander grew up in the Ravens' front office from 1999-2018, starting as a pro personal assistant and leaving as an assistant director of player personnel. https://t.co/muBsXA0BqN
Calais Campbell's free agent contract with the Baltimore #Ravens is a 1-year, $5.5M deal with $4.75M fully guaranteed (a $2.5M salary & $2.25M signing bonus).
Another $500k of likely to be earned incentives can max the contract out at $6M this season.
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