Ravens rookie tight end Maxx Williams won't turn 22 years old for another nine months, making him the youngest player on the team's roster.
But neither that nor the rookie second-round pick's uneven play during the various offseason workouts are the only reasons why it's probably best not to put too many lofty expectations on Williams. The recent history of highly drafted tight ends suggests that players at that position face a steep learning curve and don't often enjoy immediate success.
Consider the following: In the previous four drafts (from 2011 to 2014), a total of 11 tight ends have been taken in either the first or second rounds. During their respective rookie seasons, those 11 players averaged just under 24 catches for 264 yards and one touchdown.
None of the 11 players had 40 catches or more in their rookie seasons and only two of them – the Cincinnati Bengals' Tyler Eifert (drafted 21st overall in 2013) and the Philadelphia Eagles' Zach Ertz (taken 35th in 2013) – had more than 400 yards receiving in their first year.
Four tight ends were taken within the first two rounds last year: North Carolina's Eric Ebron (10th by the Detroit Lions), Washington's Austin Seferian-Jenkins (38th by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Texas Tech's Jace Amaro (49th by the New York Jets) and Notre Dame's Troy Nikas (52nd by the Arizona Cardinals)
The four combined for 87 catches, 852 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. Ebron, a guy the Ravens coveted entering the 2014 draft, was a huge disappointment with just 25 catches, 248 receiving yards and one touchdown.
The relative early struggles of highly-drafted, first-year tight ends is more of a recent trend. Cincinnati's Jermaine Gresham, the 21st overall pick in 2010, and New England's Rob Gronkowski, taken 42nd overall in 2010, combined for 94 catches and 14 touchdowns in their rookie seasons.
Dustin Keller (New York Jets) and John Carlson (Seattle Seahawks) also made immediate impacts in 2008 after being taken 30th and 38th respectively. Other tight ends selected in later rounds – Jimmy Graham was a third-round pick in 2010 and Julius Thomas was drafted in the fourth round a year later – have established themselves as some of the top players in the league at their positions.
However, more recent highly touted tight ends have had trouble doing the same. Injuries have taken a toll on several of them, including Eifert, the Indianapolis Colts' Coby Fleener (34th overall in 2012) and the Minnesota Vikings' Kyle Rudolph (43rd in 2011). Others have struggled to adapt to the physicality of the game as defenses routinely target tight ends and beat them up at the line of scrimmage.
It can take a year or two before certain players learn the playbook and acquire the necessary speed and strength to make the transition. The Lions are certainly hoping that Ebron takes a big step in his sophomore season.
Ertz, who had a solid rookie season with 36 catches for 369 yards and four scores in 2013, did just that with 58 catches for 702 yards and three touchdowns in a stellar second campaign.
The Ravens obviously would love Williams to have a big rookie season. They traded up to get in position to draft him with the 55th pick in the second round. They lost last year's top tight end, Owen Daniels, in free agency. They still don't know whether Dennis Pitta will be able to contribute at all in 2015 as he attempts a comeback from a fractured and dislocated hip for the second consecutive year.
The Ravens don't have a proven veteran tight end like they did in 2001 (Shannon Sharpe) when they used a first-round pick on Todd Heap, or in 2010, when third-rounder Ed Dickson and fourth-rounder Dennis Pitta slotted under Heap on the depth chart. Williams should get every opportunity to play meaningful snaps.
For his part, Williams has come in and said all the right things about coming in, putting his head down and working hard and being consumed by getting better, not by competing with holdover Crockett Gillmore for the starting job.
Recent history for rookie tight ends indicates that's the right approach.