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Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta On Trace McSorley: ‘We Fell In Love With The Kid’ At Pre-Draft Workout

Penn State football quarterback Trace McSorley found an NFL home when the Baltimore Ravens picked him with the No. 197 overall pick in the 2019 draft.

The signal caller from Ashburn, Virginia will stay close to home to begin his NFL career, joining a quarterback room with plenty of dual-threat options. Joe Flacco’s trade to Denver opened the door for Lamar Jackson to become the team’s starting quarterback, and Robert Griffin III is the only other quarterback listed on Baltimore’s current roster.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach Jim Harbaugh heaped plenty of praise towards their newest quarterback following their team’s final pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.

“He’s known to be a tough-ass competitor,” Harbaugh said. “I’ve seen him play against Michigan a few times, he was pretty good. I hated him then — now, I love him.”

“He’s a great kid by all accounts,” DeCosta said. “He’s ready to get to work. We brought him in and he had a workout for us. It was a really intensive workout, and it was really impressive. He threw the ball well — in the pocket and on the move. He competed, he was in phenomenal shape, he was accurate, and he showed a live arm.”

The general manager went on to call McSorley a “sleeper pick” for his team, and he hinted that Penn State’s all-time winningest quarterback might be able to help out his team in more ways than one.

“We fell in love with the kid,” he said. “We think his skill set fits what we’re trying to accomplish on offense and can do other things.”

Baltimore used to be known for its methodical passing game with Joe Flacco under center. However, drafting Lamar Jackson with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft began a shift towards an exciting, multi-faceted offense led by a dynamic signal caller.

Jackson can burn teams with his arm and his legs. He passed for 1,201 yards and six touchdowns and added 695 rushing yards and five scores on the ground in seven starts last year. Backup Robert Griffin III’s career may have been derailed due to injuries, but he was the consummate dual-threat at quarterback at the peak of his abilities with the Washington Redskins.

It’s safe to say that McSorley fits the profile of “dual-threat quarterback” that the Ravens were looking for in the later rounds of this year’s draft. He threw for 9,899 yards and ran for 1,697 more in three years as Penn State’s starting quarterback, scoring a total of 107 touchdowns during that time. Thirty of those scores were on the ground, 12 of which came during the 2018 season.

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About the Author

Mikey Mandarino

In the most upsetting turn of events, Mikey graduated from Penn State with a digital & print journalism degree in the spring of 2020. He covered Penn State football and served as an editor for Onward State from 2018 until his graduation. Mikey is from Bedminster, New Jersey, so naturally, he spends lots of time yelling about all the best things his home state has to offer. Mikey also loves to play golf, but he sucks at it because golf is really hard. If you, for some reason, feel compelled to see what Mikey has to say on the internet, follow him on Twitter @Mikey_Mandarino. You can also get in touch with Mikey via his big-boy email address: [email protected]

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