Ravens rookie film review: defensive draft picks make promising debuts

The Ravens’ 2026 draft class played a significant role in Baltimore’s preseason opening win over Philadelphia. While preseason production only tells part of the story, these games give us our first opportunity to see how the coaching staff plans to deploy its rookies, what areas they are emphasizing in their development, and how their college traits translate to the NFL.

Here’s what stood out from Zion Young, Rayshaun Benny, and Chandler Rivers in their first preseason action.

22 snaps | 16 pass rush | 4 run defense | 2 coverage

Young’s stat sheet may not jump off the page, but his 22 snaps were much more interesting from a developmental standpoint. Baltimore kept him on the field deep into the fourth quarter and used the opportunity to expose him to several different responsibilities.

Young was asked to rush the passer, defend the run, drop into coverage, and work from multiple stances. That last part was particularly noteworthy. Young was most comfortable at Missouri rushing from a three-, three-and-a-half-, or four-point stance, but Baltimore gave him several snaps standing up as a traditional outside linebacker. That appears to be intentional developmental work as the Ravens try to expand what he can do within their defensive front.

One of his best plays came against a screen to the near side. Young diagnosed the play, pursued into space and finished with an excellent open field tackle. For a 6-foot-6 edge defender, seeing that kind of movement and ability to finish in space was encouraging.

As a pass rusher, Young also showed some variety. He flashed a cross-chop, which was notable because his college pass-rush plan was heavily built around power, particularly his long arm and bull rush. He also had a good speed-to-power rep, showing the pocket compressing ability that was one of his best traits coming out of Missouri .

There has been some skepticism surrounding Young’s performance because he didn’t consistently generate immediate pressure, but the context matters. Philadelphia’s quarterbacks were getting the ball out quickly, and Baltimore wasn’t simply asking Young to pin his ears back and rush every snap. This looked like a developmental game for Young, with the Ravens deliberately putting different responsibilities on his plate.

Postgame takeaway: The production was quiet, but the usage was encouraging. Baltimore appears focused on developing Young into a more versatile edge defender rather than limiting him to the power-rushing role he excelled in during college. The cross chop, open field tackle and stand-up reps were the biggest things to take away from his debut.

14 coverage snaps | 1 target | 0 receptions allowed | 1 pass breakup

Of the three defensive rookies, Rivers may have had the most immediately noticeable performance.

He was targeted only once across 14 coverage snaps and forced an incompletion on the play. Baltimore primarily played zone coverage, so there weren’t many opportunities to evaluate Rivers’ pure man coverage traits, but his processing and closing ability showed up.

On his pass breakup, Rivers read the play, drove downhill on the football and attacked through the receiver’s frame at the catch point. That’s exactly the type of decisive play you want to see from a defensive back operating in zone coverage.

Rivers’ tackling was arguably even more impressive. He was forced to make several plays in space and consistently finished. That carried over to special teams, where he worked around a blocker on kickoff coverage and made the tackle. For a rookie defensive back competing in a crowded secondary, those special-teams reps could be extremely important when Baltimore eventually has to make its roster decisions.

Rivers primarily operated from the nickel in his debut. As the preseason progresses, it will be interesting to see whether Baltimore expands his responsibilities and gives him opportunities outside or at safety. His college tape suggested that positional flexibility could eventually become part of his value.

Postgame takeaway: Rivers had a strong debut. The coverage numbers were clean, he made a decisive play on his lone target, and his open-field tackling consistently stood out. His ability to contribute on special teams only strengthens his case for a roster spot.

15 snaps | 13 pass rush | 1 run defense | 1 coverage

Benny looked very similar to the player we saw at Michigan.

His power immediately translated. Benny had multiple pass rush reps where he generated movement with his bull rush, getting underneath offensive linemen and using his leverage to compress the pocket. He may not always be the player who finishes the rush, but his ability to move the line of scrimmage can create opportunities for everyone around him.

What stood out most was his work on stunts and twists. Benny was effective when asked to crash into offensive linemen and create space for another defender looping behind him. He covered a surprising amount of ground on some of those exchanges and showed that he can be useful as more than simply a straight-line interior power rusher.

We didn’t get many opportunities to evaluate Benny against the run because he logged only one official run defense snap, but his ability to occupy blockers still showed up. He prevented offensive linemen from cleanly climbing to the second level, allowing Baltimore’s linebackers to remain clean, flow toward the football and finish plays.

That ability doesn’t always show up in the box score, but it is extremely valuable in the Ravens’ front.

Postgame takeaway: Benny’s power translated immediately. His bull rush and ability to create opportunities for teammates on games up front were the highlights of his debut. Week 2 should hopefully give us a larger sample size, particularly against the run, where his ability to control blockers could become one of his biggest strengths.

The biggest takeaway from Baltimore’s defensive rookies wasn’t necessarily raw production it was how the Ravens used them.

Young was treated like a developmental chess piece, working from different stances and handling responsibilities beyond simply rushing the passer. Benny immediately showed how his power can affect the entire defensive front, particularly when Baltimore runs stunts and twists. Rivers looked comfortable in the nickel, tackled extremely well and showed immediate special-teams value.

There is still a long way to go before Week 1, but all three gave Baltimore something encouraging to build on.

For Week 2, the three things I’ll be watching most closely are Young’s pass rush development from a two point stance, Benny receiving more opportunities against the run, and Rivers getting snaps at multiple positions in the secondary.