Ravens observations: Rookie Ja’Kobi Lane introduces himself with leaping catch

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When the Ravens selected wide receiver Ja’Kobi Lane in the third round of the NFL draft, general manager Eric DeCosta envisioned a player who could bring something different to the offense.

“I think Lamar [Jackson]’s going to be excited when he sees him,” DeCosta said in April. “I think Ja’Kobi is going to earn the trust of Lamar and he’s going to be a player that can be counted on to make big plays.”

With a 6-foot-4 frame, a 40-inch vertical leap and a reputation for making difficult catches, Lane has the size and ball skills to give Jackson a target in contested situations. On the second day of training camp, the third-round pick showed flashes of what the Ravens were hoping for.

After hooking up with backup quarterback Tyler Huntley early in the Ravens’ first 11-on-11 period for a gain of about 20 yards, Lane delivered the highlight of the day on a connection with his star quarterback.

Jackson found Lane for a 30-yard, full-extension catch down the middle of the field. The rookie climbed the ladder over safety Malaki Starks and cornerback Marlon Humphrey to secure the lofted ball, providing an early glimpse of the playmaking ability the Ravens believe he can bring to the offense.

Jackson “knows Ja’Kobi’s going to make tough catches,” wide receiver Zay Flowers said. “Like [that] middle-of-the-field throw today, he threw it high. He knew Ja’Kobi was going to get it.”

Lane and Jackson had a miscue a few plays later, when a lofted ball in nearly the same spot on the field ended up just out of Lane’s reach and fell incomplete. But, when Jackson went back to him on a shallow crossing route, Lane secured the ball for a short gain.

The sequence offered a glimpse of the process Lane is going through as he works to build a connection with Jackson. The former USC star is learning the offense and adjusting to the speed of the NFL, but Lane has shown he is willing to learn and improve.

“He works every day. He’s willing to listen,” Flowers said. “He takes keys from everybody and then he applies them, so he’s learning fast.”

‘Greek god’ diet

Believe it or not, despite having what inside linebacker Roquan Smith called a “Greek god” physique, running back Derrick Henry believes in cheat days.

In fact, you might have caught him eating fried chicken this summer or — gasp — having a meal before noon.

“A lot of that got misconstrued,” Henry said about the details of his diet. “I told everybody that some days I eat [for the first time] at 4 or 5 o’clock [in the afternoon]. Not every day. That would be crazy. But I do fast. I do intermittent fast.”

As Henry heads into Year 11 in the NFL, his cheat days haven’t appeared to affect him. Although it’s hard to judge a running back early in camp in noncontact practices, Henry looks good and he said he feels good, too. So much so that retirement hasn’t crossed his mind.

Now that the team’s back to work, Henry’s diet is back, too. Standing at the podium after practice, he said he hadn’t eaten yet. Typically, he doesn’t eat before noon, especially now that camp practices are earlier.

Henry’s nutrition and workout regimen has long been a topic of conversation, but he isn’t tired of discussing it.

“I appreciate people being curious, asking questions,” Henry said. “If my routine can help someone, then that’s always cool.”

Star student

Flowers doesn’t get how Lamar Jackson does it.

It’s Day 2 of training camp under a new head coach and a new offensive coordinator, and the quarterback is “unbelievably further ahead,” according to coach Jesse Minter.

“I don’t know how he picks up on the system so fast,” Flowers said. “It’s crazy. ’Cause, like, I got to study a lot. But this one? He just picks it up quick.”

Often the defense comes into camp looking faster than the offense, but Jackson is shining brightest through two days.

He’s shown his signature speed, escaping pressure and extending plays, in a way that was missing as he dealt with injury last year.

Jackson’s hit a variety of receivers on a variety of routes, throwing deep balls and 50-50 balls, two areas that have been pointed out as weaknesses in the past.

On Thursday, he unofficially went 4-for-5 in 11-on-11 action and 4-for-6 in seven-on-seven drills.

“Lamar can adjust to everybody,” Flowers said. “So he knows that everybody’s different, everybody’s play style is different.”

Many of Jackson’s incompletions have been the result of drops by his receivers or outstanding plays by the defense.

Minter said, as part of the new offense, Jackson has had to learn new footwork, timing, reads and cadences.

“When you get those things down, then your natural ability can take over,” Minter said. “That’s what we want for Lamar.”

End zone

• Huntley’s practice ended on a down note, with interceptions on back-to-back passes in 11-on-11 work. Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie picked off the first after wide receiver Devontez Walker stumbled on an in-breaking route about 15 yards downfield. On the second, with the pocket quickly compressing, Huntley threw a pass to roughly the same area of the field. No receiver was nearby, and safety Keondre Jackson barely had to move to secure the turnover.
• Lane wasn’t the only rookie to flash. Matt Hibner was targeted often on underneath and immediate-range throws, fellow tight end Josh Cuevas had a long catch-and-run score near the end of practice, and wide receiver Elijah Sarratt had a sliding catch for a decent gain against a blown coverage.
• The Ravens’ pass rush didn’t give Jackson and Huntley much room to breathe in the pocket. Outside linebackers Trey Hendrickson, Tavius Robinson, Mike Green and Zion Young had success mixing speed and power rushes, with Young flashing his knock-back ability on a few impressive snaps. “He’s a really good pass rusher,” Minter said of the second-round pick, “and he’s going to be able to rush from a lot of different spots.”
• Defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike (neck), who was activated off the physically-unable-to-perform list Wednesday, was again limited to stretching and conditioning early in practice. Minter said injured defensive linemen Travis Jones and John Jenkins are expected to make their camp debuts by the end of next week. Inside linebacker Teddye Buchanan (knee), outside linebacker Adisa Isaac (elbow) and cornerback Bilhal Kone (knee) remain on the PUP list.
• Former Ravens outside linebacker Pernell McPhee and Haruki Nakamura have joined the team’s staff as coaching fellows.

Banner reporter Jonas Shaffer contributed to this story.