OWINGS MILLS -- Every year, the Baltimore Ravens are looking for the next Bart Scott, Jameel McClain, Mike Flynn or B.J. Sams.
The quest to find good football players doesn't stop when the seventh round of the NFL draft ends.
"Even though we're done collecting players with draft picks, this starts the process of the undrafted college free agents as soon as the draft is over," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said Saturday night. "We're putting that process in place right now, working with the coaches. The coaches and the scouts are working together so we can attack that once the draft finishes.
The defending AFC North champions have already hammered out deals with undrafted rookies with coach John Harbaugh, director of college scouting Joe Hortiz, scouts, coaches and other team officials recruiting the players.
Although the deals won't become official until the player passes a physical and signs his contract, the Ravens have agreed to terms with the following 20 players: Kent State center Chris Anzevino, Florida quarterback John Brantley, North Carolina cornerback Charles Brown, Morgan State tight end-H back Lamont Bryant, Mississippi State offensive lineman James Carmon, Illinois offensive lineman Jack Cornell, Clemson fullback Chad Diehl, Georgia fullback Bruce Figgins, Slippery Rock wide receiver Devin Goda, Syracuse wide receiver Dorian Graham, Alabama-Birmingham defensive tackle Elliott Henigan, Baylor defensive tackle Nick Jean-Baptiste, Tennessee fullback-linebacker Austin Johnson, Kent State defensive tackle Ishmaa'ily Kitchen, Clemson offensive lineman Antoine McClain, Alabama offensive lineman Alfred McCullough, Syracuse tight end Nick Provo, Wake Forest safety Chyl Quarles, Western Kentucky running back Bobby Rainey, Florida wide receiver Deonte Thompson and University of Texas kicker-punter Justin Tucker.
Bryant is an intriguing prospect, an extremely athletic 6-foot-5, 229-pounder who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 to 4.45 seconds at his campus Pro Day workout where he also registered a 43-inch vertical leap, a 10-3 broad jump and bench pressed 225 pounds 19 times. He visited the Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs and the Seattle Seahawks and played in the HCBU all-star game.
"As Ozzie alluded to, we're in the middle of undrafted free agency," Ravens director of player personnel Eric DeCosta said. "Joe [Hortiz] is up there with the scouts, right along with coach Harbaugh, organizing that. So, we'll have a chance to bring in some really good players on the back end.
"And there are still a lot of good players out there. The hunt goes on. We'll continue to look at players who are available on the street, free agents, undrafted free agents, street free agents, unrestricted free agents. We'll get a chance to look at those guys and build the best team for September."
Reach staff writer Aaron Wilson at 410-857-7896 or sports@carrollcountytimes.com.
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