Ben Grubbs agreed to a five-year deal worth nearly $8 million yesterday to become the first Ravens first-round pick in six years to reach an agreement before the start of training camp.
The consensus top guard in the NFL draft, Grubbs will sign a contract that includes $5.22 million in guaranteed money and could have a maximum value of $11 million if incentives are reached.
There had been reports that the Ravens had reached an agreement Thursday night, but the sides didn't finalize the deal until yesterday morning. The Ravens, who report to camp tomorrow, had dealt with five straight first-round holdouts since signing tight end Todd Heap before training camp in 2001.
The next hurdle for Grubbs is breaking into the starting lineup.
The rookie out of Auburn will try to beat out Chris Chester for the starting right guard job after working with the second team all offseason.
"The coaches told me that I was going to work for the spot," said Grubbs, who was the 29th overall pick in the draft. "I don't expect to be given anything."
Grubbs, who is 6 feet 3, 315 pounds, is making a bigger adjustment than expected because he is playing at a new spot.
When he recorded 48 blocks that resulted in touchdowns at Auburn, Grubbs was playing left guard. But the Ravens have been using him exclusively on the right side, which has been tough for him to remember at times.
Grubbs has caught himself watching the left guard instead of the right one on film during team meetings.
"I didn't think it would be a big difference, but it's a real big difference," he said. "It's like writing with your right hand and now trying to write with your left. You got to reverse everything in your mind. It's an everyday battle."
The Ravens have a history of starting their first-round picks right away.
Four of the past five first-round picks - safety Ed Reed, quarterback Kyle Boller, receiver Mark Clayton and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata - became starters as rookies.
The Ravens have been impressed with Grubbs during the noncontact minicamps, but they want to see how he plays when the team begins hitting in camp.
"In shorts, he's looked very, very good," coach Brian Billick said. "Physically, we got to wait to see what happens with the pads."
Grubbs became the first offensive lineman to be selected in the first round by the Ravens since Jonathan Ogden in 1996, so a lot of expectations are being placed on Grubbs.
"He's a rookie, so everything is a new experience," Chester said. "But he's getting better every day."
Grubbs' deal falls in line with the players selected around him.
San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Joe Staley, the 28th overall pick, signed a five-year, $8 million deal that includes $5.6 million in guaranteed money. San Diego Chargers wide receiver Craig Davis, the 30th pick, agreed to a five-year, $7.8 million contract that includes $5.4 million in guaranteed money.
Grubbs said he is excited about being in the NFL, but not content.
"It's never a time that you'll get comfortable," he said. "When you get comfortable, you start slacking."
The Ravens also agreed to terms with fullback Le'Ron McClain, the team's second pick in the fourth round.
That means the Ravens have deals with all of their eight draft picks (the team selected former Maryland offensive tackle Jared Gaither in the fifth round of the supplemental draft July 12).
"It's good to have each of our draft choices finished, prior to the start of Brian's team meeting [tomorrow]," general manager Ozzie Newsome said.
Notes -- All of the single-game tickets for the Ravens' regular season sold out Friday in 10 minutes. Approximately 1,000 tickets still remain for both preseason games at M&T; Bank Stadium. ... The Ravens cut defensive tackles Andrew Powell and Lawrence Wilson.
jamison.hensley@baltsun.com