The Baltimore Ravens selected edge rusher Jaylon Ferguson in the third round of the 2019 draft. The team had high expectations for the former Louisiana Tech star, as he broke Terrell Suggs’ FBS sack record.

During his press conference with the Baltimore media on Wednesday, outside linebackers coach Drew Wilkins said that he’s excited about Ferguson, mentioning his growth in multiple areas.

“The thing I’m most excited about with Jaylon [Ferguson] is how he’s in such great shape right now, and he really has a grasp of the playbook that he hasn’t had the last two years. It’s just every year, he’s getting sharper and sharper with it, to the point now where he really is telling the young guys what to do, which is exciting to see – a guy take that leap to that point. And he’s running to the football, he’s playing with great effort. He’s really checking all the boxes right now for us.”

Over the course of his first two years in the league, Ferguson has accumulated 61 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. He’ll look to take a big leap in his third year, as he will be relied upon in a massive way with the departures of Matthew Judon, Yannick Ngakoue, and Jihad Ward in free agency.

The Ravens could look to add a veteran edge defender such as Justin Houston or Melvin Ingram, but that could depend on how they feel about Ferguson. If they think he can turn a corner this year, they might decide against adding an outside option. It seems that they like what they’ve seen so far out of their 2019 third round pick, and could put their trust in him to be a big part of their defense in 2021.