courtney upshaw

Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb looks so much more comfortable than he did two weeks ago. You can see the difference when he participates in individual position drills early in every practice.

The Ravens' first official depth chart lists Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata as the starting nose guard.

John Harbaugh updated the status of a couple of Ravens players after Wednesday's practice.

Outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw dropped roughly 20 pounds over the summer after tipping the scales at 295 pounds during the spring.

Pro Bowl kick returner Jacoby Jones' inital failure to pass the Ravens' mandatory conditioning test put him under unwelcome scrutiny.

here was a heavyweight scuffle at the Ravens' minicamp Wednesday afternoon. The combatants: outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw and offensive guard Jah Reid.

Last season, the Ravens got meaningful contributions from rookies, including second-round picks Courtney Upshaw and Kelechi Osemele. But where did they rank in terms of snaps played by first-year players?

As diminutive Ravens running back Bobby Rainey and punter Sam Koch belted several home runs at Ripken Stadium, cornerback Lardarius Webb came away even more impressed by what surrounded his teammates Sunday in Aberdeen.

Ravens outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw is noticeably heavier this offseason after battling conditioning issues initially last season as a rookie.

Preston never put a lot of stock in OTAs because the season is still a few months away and there could be some significant changes to the roster before the regular season opener. But here are a few casual observations from watching the first workout open to the media Wednesday.

The Baltimore Ravens have signed fourth-round outside linebacker John Simon to a four-year deal.

The projected front seven of the Baltimore Ravens defense weighs will weigh just under a ton, which is also about the same as a smart car, a large walrus or the Johnny Unitas statue outside M&T Bank Stadium.

Ravens assistant general manager answers questions about the Ravens at Baltimore Sun Sports Forum

By the time he got to elementary school, Simon was already performing a daily regimen of pull-ups and sit-ups. He lifted 225 pounds 31 times as a 16-year-old. Before he graduated from high school, he had benched 450 pounds and squatted 700.

Just two days ago, the Ravens wrapped another successful draft, selecting a 10-player class that is being hailed as one of the weekend's best by many draft analysts. Next there are minicamps, offseason workouts and later a training camp to be conducted, and, eventually, games will be played. But who cares about all that? Let's look ahead to the 2014 NFL draft.

Each weekday through Wednesday, the day before the first round of the NFL draft, The Sun will look at where the Ravens stand at each position, the likelihood that they will address that spot early in the draft and some of the prospects that they may consider. Today we'll examine outside linebacker:

The Ravens are the owners of that final first-round pick this year. The Ravens always think big at this time of year but their focus is not on finding the next Darrell Green. It's on restocking a roster that lost a number of key players from the team that beat the San Francisco 49ers 2 1/2 months ago to win Super Bowl XLVII.

The Ravens replaced pass rusher Paul Kruger with a Pro Bowler in Elvis Dumervil. They are open to trying out defensive end Pernell McPhee at rush linebacker. Courtney Upshaw could improve his pass-rushing prowess before his second NFL season. And Terrell Suggs should have four fully-functioning limbs this fall. Will that keep the Ravens from drafting another pass rusher next week, possibly even with an early pick?

The Ravens have been linked to several inside linebackers for their first-round draft pick, including Notre Dame's Manti Te'o, LSU's Kevin Minter and Georgia's Alec Ogletree.

The deal doesn't carry a big financial commitment from the Ravens, but is expected to include incentives based on playing time and performance that could boost the total value.

The Ravens are in discussions with former Oakland Raiders middle linebacker Rolando McClain, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

The acquisition of outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil creates questions about how the snaps will be divvied up amongst him, Terrell Suggs and Courtney Upshaw, but the Ravens' coaches will tell you that it's a good problem to have.

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh just spoke with reporters for nearly an hour at the head coaches luncheon at the NFL annual meetings.

Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti talks about winning the Super Bowl, making tough offseason decisions and the future for his football team.

As the Ravens were signing Canty to a three-year, $8 million contract that includes a $2 million signing bonus, Ravens coach John Harbaugh told the 6-foot-7, 317-pounder he hopes he gives the defense back what they lost in Redding.