The Ravens have not played tight end Mark Andrews in the preseason and that’s left a lot of snaps for fourth-round pick Isaiah Likely in his first summer of pro football.
Likely has done a lot with the opportunity. He had four catches for 44 yards in the team’s first preseason game and starred on Sunday with eight catches for 100 yards and a touchdown to help the Ravens keep their preseason winning streak alive against the Cardinals.
The rookie said after the game that the performance showed he is “going to keep” the promises he made when he was drafted and that he’ll do whatever it takes to keep the organization happy. Head coach John Harbaugh made it clear that they are pleased with everything they’ve seen from Likely to this point.
“We expected him to be a really good player,” Harbaugh said, via the team’s website. “To be honest with you, I’d say he’s exactly what we expected. He’s had some opportunities, he’s made the most of them. He asks good questions and goes to work every day, he doesn’t get flustered. He makes a mistake, he cleans it up.”
Andrews’ presence will change Likely’s role in the regular season, but an eye-opening summer should make Likely part of the mix on offense to start the year.
