The Ravens explained Tuesday that veteran offensive tackle Willie Anderson decided to retire because his legs could no longer carry the workload.
There are no such questions about Michael Oher.
The Ravens' first-round pick worked at right tackle with the first team, the second team, the third team ...
Throughout team drills of Tuesday's passing camp, Oher continually showed why the Ravens aren't sweating Anderson's departure. He looked strong, athletic and surprisingly polished.
"I won't say [the NFL] is a big step for me," Oher said as the Ravens continue their second week of offseason minicamps. "It's something I've wanted to do all my life."
Oher has gotten few plays off because the Ravens' other tackles - Adam Terry (knee) and Oniel Cousins (chest) - are hurt.
After his seventh practice as a Raven, Oher estimated that his comfort level is at 60 percent. His teammates are in agreement that the 6-foot-4, 309-pound rookie looks the part of an NFL lineman.
"If you draw up an offensive tackle," veteran defensive lineman Trevor Pryce said, "it would probably look like him."
The encouraging part for the Ravens is that Oher is learning during his high-volume experience.
On Monday, linebacker Jarret Johnson had his way with Oher, taking advantage when the lineman overextended his arms. One day later, Oher still delivered a strong punch, but he kept his weight back so rushers couldn't beat him around the edge.
"You can't coach that," Johnson said. "All you have to do is slow him down and he can do anything."
If Oher starts for the Ravens this season, it would continue a recent trend in the NFL. Of the eight offensive tackles drafted in the first round last year, six went on to start at least 12 games as a rookie.
"He's not scared or intimidated by it," Pryce said. "I don't think the game is going to be too big for him. It might be different when we get the pads on [in training camp]. But right now, you can see that he's going to be a player."
If Oher looks like he understands the offense better than the other rookies, it's because he does.
Before the first minicamp, he talked with coaches about the playbook. Oher said he still stays up late at night to study it.
"He's probably one of the first rookies I've seen in a while that came in and for the most part knew the [playbook] ahead of time," offensive coordinator Cam Cameron said. "He got ahead of the game, and I think he's going to try to stay ahead of the game."
