Every great journey starts with a single step, and for Chandler Rivers and Elijah Sarratt, that step now comes in purple and black. The Baltimore Ravens have given fans their first look at two of their most promising 2026 draft picks, and the early buzz is already building.
Rivers, a compact five-foot-nine, 185-pound cornerback, brings a tenacity that fits perfectly with Baltimore's defensive identity. His resume speaks volumes: First-Team All-ACC honors in 2024 and Second-Team recognition in 2025. Sarratt, on the other hand, is a towering six-foot-two, 210-pound wide receiver who arrives with championship pedigree. A key contributor to Indiana's College Football Playoff National Championship run, he led the NCAA in receiving touchdowns at the close of the 2025 season. His trophy case also includes Second-Team All-Big Ten honors, following a Third-Team nod the year before, plus First-Team All-NEC (2022) and First-Team All-Sun Belt (2023) accolades.
Both rookies are part of an exciting 11-man draft class, and the Ravens' social media team wasted no time sharing footage from rookie minicamp. The clips show Rivers and Sarratt moving through drills in shorts and no pads—early days, but enough to catch a glimpse of their potential.
Of course, practice time and eventual game reps will tell the real story. But even in these initial moments, there's something worth noting: the speed, the movement, and the comfort level as they adjust to the professional stage. It's the first opportunity to see how college production begins to translate, and both players are on different paths to the same destination—a spot on the 53-man roster.
Rivers enters as a defensive back with the kind of athletic profile Baltimore has long valued: versatility, quickness, and the ability to compete in space. Sarratt, meanwhile, carries a different weight. At wide receiver, expectations come fast. Route precision, timing, and chemistry aren't optional—they're required. But if their college careers are any indication, both are ready for the challenge.