NFL teams meeting with individual players are a significant part of the draft process. These meetings can happen at the NFL Scouting Combine, pro days, the Senior Bowl, the East-West Shrine Bowl or a private workout.

For fans following the process, these meetings are sort of like poker tells for the draft, as they indicate what positions a team could be focusing on. Do teams draft players they haven’t met with? Yes, they do. It happens all the time, but they have often spoken to other players at that position.

Who have the Baltimore Ravens met with so far? A good list to check is usually at WalterFootball.com, but with the state of the world as it is, it has become a tad tougher to find those tea leaves.

So far, teams have had access to players at the various bowl showcases (like the Senior or East-West Shrine Bowls). The Combine is taking place now, and then Pro Days begin. Therefore, I am going to profile players you should know and who the Ravens could select in the 2022 NFL Draft. Today is Northern Iowa offensive tackle Trevor Penning. Let’s get to know him better.

Tale of the Tape

Height: 6-foot-7

Weight: 330 pounds

Strengths: Very athletic and strong tackle prospect; a monster in the run game and plays with a mean streak all the way to the whistle; a true mauler once he gets his hands on you; hand placement is solid; plays with good extension in his arms; versatile in that he can play either tackle position or guard.

Areas For Improvement: His balance and bend can be inconsistent at times; had some trouble against smaller, quicker pass rushers; tends to be a tad grabby when getting beat, something I mostly saw when he was forced inside.

Other Notes: First-team All-Missouri Valley Conference and Walter Payton Award finalist in 2021; set a school record for offensive linemen by squatting 625 pounds.

NFL Player Comparison: Taylor Lewan, Riley Reiff

Draft Projection: Penning will be an interesting study as he has some flaws. Is he a left or right tackle? He played both at UNI. I think he can start from Day 1 and be a dominant right tackle, but his athleticism, length and strength will have many teams wanting to try him on the left side. I think he can be a very good left tackle but maybe not from Day 1 since he’ll have to clean up some things. At worst, he could move to guard and be a 10-year player who will excel in the run game and provide stability to any offensive line. Top-25 pick.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of UNI Athletics

Ken Zalis

See all posts by Ken Zalis. Follow Ken Zalis on Twitter at @fansfantasy