Every year, the NFL produces a Cinderella story of an undrafted free agent defying the odds and making the final 53-man roster. Usually, if there is such a story on a team, it’s limited to one person, and even more rare that it’s two players on the same side of the football, and unheard of that it would be three players. The Baltimore Ravens are in the business of defying the odds early on this season, as three undrafted free agents on defense have made the team.
Safety Reuben Lowery III, inside linebacker Jay Higgins IV, and cornerback Keyon Martin made the Ravens’ roster. The franchise has a long history with undrafted free agents making the roster, having at least one undrafted rookie in 21 of the last 22 seasons. This season’s undrafted free agent success is some of the Ravens’ scouting department’s best work.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh praised the team’s scouting team, as Ryan Mink of Ravens.com wrote about this in his August 26 “5 Takeaways From Ravens Roster Cuts” article.
“I just think we have a really good system,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said Monday when asked about the team’s success with undrafted rookies. “If I’m an agent, I want to send them to Baltimore, because they’re going to get coached, and they’re going to have a chance.”
The scouting department did its due diligence in finding three players who were talented but overlooked for various reasons.
Unlikely Journey’s
Making a roster as an undrafted player, a lot of the time, comes down to luck and skill. For Lowery, Higgins, and Martin, that is precisely what happened for them. Bilhal Kone and Robert Longerbeam, both drafted in the sixth round this year, were placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Jay Higgins, out of the University of Iowa, was overlooked. Despite being Big Ten Linebacker of the year, a First-team All-Big Ten, and a unanimous All-American, Higgins was passed on by every team and not drafted.
Safety Reuben Lowery III came from the FCS level, playing for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (also known as the Chattanooga Mocs). The Mocs’ most famous alumnus is Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens. Lowery hopes to achieve a similar level of success to Owens. At Chattanooga last season, Lowery was named First-team All-Southern Conference, and he also showcased his intelligence at the university, graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Cornerback Keyon Martin came to the Ravens out of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. While Martin doesn’t have the collegiate accolades of Higgins and Lowery, he does have 4.38 speed and has been a standout player since minicamp.
The one thing all three undrafted free agents have in common is that they have made the most of their opportunities.
Making the Most of their Moments
For Reuben Lowery III, Jay Higgins IV, and Keyon Martin, although they all had impressive camps, securing their positions on an NFL roster was notable, given their performances in the preseason.
Higgins, in the Ravens’ first preseason game, snagged an interception and added a pass breakup to seal the win. In the Ravens’ second preseason game, Lowery had an interception, and in the third preseason game, Martin recorded a safety, along with a pick-six.
Not only was Higgins performing well for a rookie in Week 1 of the preseason, but he also finished as a top-10 linebacker according to PFF. Lauren Gray of PFF went into detail about just how well Higgins played.
“Higgins also finished as a top-10 linebacker overall in Week 1, putting forth his own strong performance in coverage (85.2),” Gray wrote. “He was targeted twice, allowing both to be caught for a total of 10 yards. He batted a pass as a rusher and picked off an errant pass from Riley Leonard, who was hit on the throw. Higgins limited quarterbacks to a 47.9 NFL passer rating for the game.”
It’s nearly miraculous that three undrafted rookie free agents made the same team on the same side of the football, but each of them earned their place on the Ravens roster through their own hard work and determination.
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