Australian NFL talent Daniel Faalele and his new team were rated as one of, if not the best in this year’s draft.
In one list that was an aggregation of 18 different draft analysis websites, the Baltimore Ravens ranked second overall, just behind the New York Jets.
There are few better landing spots to cultivate young talent than the Ravens, who are routinely among the best-drafting teams.
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At a towering 203cm and weighing over 170 kilograms, the Melbourne-born talent is the biggest man in the entire NFL – and may well have a long career of pushing defenders around ahead of him.
Draft expert Dane Brugler rated Faalele as a first-round level talent in pre-draft analysis, but the Ravens were able to nab the offensive tackle in the fourth round.
“He has range/mirror limitations and is still learning the position, but he has a unique package of size, play strength and fluid movements,” Brugler wrote after the draft.
“He should compete for an NFL starting right tackle job during his rookie season.”
Billy Miller was one of Faalele’s former coach at IMG Academy, which he attended before playing college football at Minnesota.
“The first memory I remember about Danny is, we had a Friday walkthrough, a 10am walkthrough – we had a game later that evening and we were like play 13 through the script,” he recalled.
“All of a sudden, all of the kids just stopped and looked over at the gate – so I peeked over and I saw this humongous kid walking through the gate.
“You see a lot of celebrities here at IMG, a lot of professional athletes at IMG, but to see a kid of this size? It really stood out to everybody.
“It’s the first time practice had ever stopped without a whistle before.”
Faalele will likely begin this season as a backup lineman for the Ravens, but will probably see some game time, regardless of his place on the depth chart.
“You’re not going to get through him, you’re going to have to get around him,” NFL.com analysis Daniel Jeremiah said.
“I think once he gets comfortable, knowing that he can be patient and not have to jump out of that set and overset and get beat inside, he’s going to be fine because he can use his size and length just to run guys around the edge.”
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