The Baltimore Ravens may have found a rookie with a real path to early playing time, and it might not come where most people first look.
Adam Randall arrived as a fifth-round pick, which already made him an interesting story because of owner Steve Bisciotti’s involvement in his first-ever draft pick. But the bigger intrigue is this: Randall could help Baltimore in a spot that’s still searching for answers, and the cleanest opening may be on kick returns.
Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com recently broke down the Ravens’ special teams competition and pointed to kick returner as the most unsettled job on the roster. That gives Randall a legitimate chance to jump into the mix right away.
“Kick returner is more wide open with Ali, Randall and others in the mix,” Mink wrote. “If Ali or Randall win a spot as a kick returner (the Ravens often sent back two deep last year), that would boost their case. Ali averaged 25.4 yards per kick return last season, while Randall averaged 23.7 yards on nine returns at Clemson.”
Baltimore spent last season cycling through options in search of a reliable answer. Five different players handled kick returns in 2025 - Rasheen Ali, Keaton Mitchell, LaJohntay Wester, Justice Hill and Tylan Wallace - and none of them fully locked down the role.
This year, Ali and maybe Wester figure to get another look, but Randall brings a different kind of appeal. He’s a rookie fifth-rounder, so nobody is asking him to carry the load immediately. Still, there’s enough there to make him a serious contender.
Dabo Swinney described him as a do-it-all player who was still growing at Clemson, and Eric DeCosta has already talked about Randall as a potential playmaker in that phase of the game. That kind of backing matters, especially before training camp even starts.
The numbers help his case, too. Randall averaged 23.7 yards per return in his senior season at Clemson, and his profile stands out: 6-foot-3, 232 pounds, with enough power to break through contact and enough burst to make defenders miss.
With kick returns becoming more important after the rule changes, Baltimore needs someone who can do more than just secure the ball. The Ravens need a returner who can flip field position and threaten to break one. Randall has the traits to enter that conversation quickly, and if he carries over what he showed at Clemson, he could force his way into the picture fast.
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