Courtney Upshaw did a lot of waiting around on Thursday night and never got anything to show for it.
He didn’t have to wait nearly as long on Friday. The Alabama defensive end/linebacker finally got his ticket punched with the third pick of the second round, number 35 overall, by the Ravens.
Upshaw was a highly productive player for the Crimson Tide, but his tweener profile likely contributed to his drop out of the first round. Upshaw might not have the speed to drop into coverage as a 3-4 outside linebacker, While it might have been difficult for some teams to figure out where Upshaw fit in the defense, it’s surprising none of them were swayed by his habit of getting to the quarterback before the Ravens got him.
He should be a good fit on the Baltimore defense. They needed an outside linebacker with Jarret Johnson gone in free agency and they obviously have had great success with Terrell Suggs as a hybrid player coming off the edge.
With Upshaw and Coby Fleener off the board, there are three players -- Georgia Tech wide receiver Stephen Hill, Penn State defensive lineman Devon Still and LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle -- left in the green room.