Courtney Upshaw

Courtney Upshaw once lived in a house with no electricity or running water. He slept some nights on a worn couch that barely contained his growing frame. He arrived at the University of Alabama with little more than the clothes he was wearing. April 26, 2012 was supposed to be the night Upshaw would be rewarded for his perseverance. Yet as he sat in Radio City Music Hall in New York City, surrounded by friends and family, Upshaw fought back tears. He watched four of his college teammates become first-round draft picks.

I never put a lot of stock in OTAs because the season is still a few months away and there could be some significant changes to the roster before the regular season opener. But here are a few casual observations from watching the first workout open to the media Wednesday.... It's impressive watching those big bodies on the Ravens defensive line. There is so much depth there with the additions of Marcus Spears and Chris Canty (who was present for some of Tuesday's workout). A team can never have enough of them, and the Ravens are stout in this area.

Courtney Upshaw was hoping to salvage a disappointing preseason with a good performance against the St. Louis Rams. Instead, the rookie linebacker left the Edward Jones Dome on Thursday night with more questions about his health and more doubts about his availability for the Ravens' Sept.10 regular season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. Upshaw, who was bothered throughout training camp by a sprained right shoulder, reinjured it in the second quarter of the Ravens' 31-17 loss.

Just two days ago, the Ravens wrapped another successful draft, selecting a 10-player class that is being hailed as one of the weekend's best by many analysts. Next there are minicamps, offseason workouts and later a training camp to be conducted, and eventually, football games will be played. But who cares about all that? OK, fine, that stuff is important, too, I guess. But since the NFL draft is still fresh in our minds -- and since draftniks are already releasing their premature lists of the top prospects in next year's draft -- let's take a look at what the Ravens might be targeting in 2014.

In his NFL debut, Ravens rookie outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw immediately got his legs chopped out from under him when he tried to penetrate the Detroit Lions' backfield. And the former Alabama star's frustration mounted during the same play when he rose to his feet only to get knocked down again. It was a painfully quiet NFL debut for the Ravens' top draft pick during a 27-12 defeat Friday night at M&T Bank Stadium, a game where he got manhandled at times by the Lions' offensive line.

The last time Courtney Upshaw played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, he showered in confetti after the game, hoisted a crystal ball and was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player of the BCS national championship game. A penchant for making big plays in the biggest of games at the University of Alabama got him selected by the Ravens in the second round of the NFL draft, though general manager Ozzie Newsome's affinity for his alma mater probably didn't hurt. Now, just over a year since winning a national title with the Crimson Tide, Upshaw's second in four years in Tuscaloosa, the Ravens rookie linebacker has returned to New Orleans, the site of Sunday night's Super Bowl.

Courtney Upshaw is a man under the microscope right now. And he knows it. The Ravens' top draft choice in April looked heavy and slow in training camp. And tentative, too. In practice the other day, he often came off the snap like a man wading against a swift current. Thus far, it's safe to say the big outside linebacker from Alabama has not exactly wowed the Ravens. "I feel I can produce and make plays," he said after the workout. "I've just got to go out there and prove it to them on game day. I can do whatever out here in practice.

Ravens rookie linebacker Courtney Upshaw says that he's back at practice after passing his conditioning test yesterday. Upshaw was initially placed on the non-football injuy list and missed the Ravens' first walk-through practice yesterday, but he said that he passed the test and practiced later in the day.  Upshaw said on Twitter: ""Yes I missed 1st walk through because of condition test but went back and passed it the same day to...

When Terrell Suggs went down with a torn right Achilles tendon in late April, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that second-round draft pick Courtney Upshaw would start at one of the outside linebacker spots for the Ravens in Week 1. That belief was reinforced this spring when the rookie linebacker from Alabama worked almost exclusively with the first-team defense. But Upshaw arrived last month at training camp still several pounds above his target weight of 270 pounds. And after he sprained his right shoulder, which forced him to miss more than a week of practice and the preseason opener, he lost ground to second-year linebacker Albert McClellan.

Rookie outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw has struggled with weight and shoulder problems, but he still should be more impressive than what he has shown in the preseason. When former Pro Bowl players Peter Boulware and Terrell Suggs started as rookie outside linebackers for the Ravens, you could see the talent right away. Boulware had a great first step and could dip his shoulders to get inside most offensive tackles when rushing the passer. With Suggs, he could change direction in almost full stride, but also had enough power to toss any linemen that got into his body or overextended.

Each weekday through Wednesday, the day before the first round of the NFL draft, The Sun will look at where the Ravens stand at each position, the likelihood that they will address that spot early in the draft and some of the prospects that they may consider. Today we'll examine outside linebacker: Current outside linebackers under contract : Terrell Suggs, Elvis Dumervil, Courtney Upshaw, Adrian Hamilton, Michael McAdoo, Spencer Atkins, D.J. Bryant Chances that the Ravens draft an outside linebacker in first three rounds : Low. Last month's signing of Dumervil gives the Ravens what they had long been seeking: a dominant pass rusher to pair with Suggs.

The Ravens replaced pass rusher Paul Kruger with a three-time Pro Bowler in Elvis Dumervil. They are open to trying out defensive end Pernell McPhee at rush linebacker. Courtney Upshaw could improve his pass-rushing prowess before his second NFL season. And Terrell Suggs should have four fully-functioning limbs this fall. Will that keep the Ravens from drafting another pass rusher next week, possibly even with an early pick? This draft class boasts a mysterious but talented group of edge rushers, led by LSU's Barkevious Mingo, Oregon's Dion Jordan, Florida State's Bjoern Werner, Georgia's Jarvis Jones, and BYU's Ezekiel Ansah.

The Ravens are interested in inside linebacker Rolando McClain, a former top-10 pick of the Oakland Raiders. No deal is in place and no terms have been finalized -- my colleague Aaron Wilson says it would likely be a one-year deal -- so it's hard to evaluate the potential signing from a cost standpoint, though I can't imagine McClain being too pricy. Still, the potential deal would at least be a risky signing from a team image standpoint. McClain allegedly threatened to kill a man and fired a gun next to his head during a fight two years ago. Raiders coach Dennis Allen also suspended him for two games last season for conduct detrimental to the team.

The acquisition of outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil creates questions about how the snaps will be divvied up amongst him, Terrell Suggs and Courtney Upshaw, but the Ravens' coaches will tell you that it's a good problem to have. Especially when defending in obvious pass situations. The presence of those three players, along with the addition of defensive linemen Chris Canty and Marcus Spears, will give Ravens defensive coordinator Dean Pees options when it comes to attacking quarterbacks in third-and-long situations this upcoming season.

Believe it or not, Ozzie Newsome and the Ravens have a plan. It might not have seemed like it to you when they let one of the greatest players in team history, Ed Reed, head to Houston. Or when they traded Anquan Boldin, a playoff hero and their leading receiver the past three years. Or when they said goodbye to their top tacklers from their Super Bowl season, Bernard Pollard and Dannell Ellerbe; their leader in sacks, Paul Kruger; and their co-leader in interceptions (along with Reed)

The Ravens are interested in free-agent pass rusher Elvis Dumervil, according to my colleague Aaron Wilson. And considering that Dumervil has 63.5 career sacks in six NFL seasons, including a league-high 17 sacks in 2009, why wouldn't any team that is looking to boost its pass rush reach out to Dumervil's new agents? (In case you, too, are still living in the 20th century, a faulty fax machine led to Dumervil's release in Denver .) The Broncos had agreed to terms on a restructured contract with a reduced salary to keep Dumervil in Denver, but when the paperwork didn't arrive before a Friday deadline for a roster bonus, the team was forced to release him. Now he is arguably the most attractive option available a week into NFL free agency.

On Tuesday, several media outlets, including The Sun, reported that Ravens rookie Courtney Upshaw had failed his conditioning test, missed Monday's practice, and had been placed on the non-football injury list to begin training camp. But a few hours later, the outside linebacker said via his Twitter account that he had passed the test on Monday and did not sit out practice. On Thursday, Upshaw set the record straight. “I kind of gave out on my first rep on Monday,” he said.

As a rookie Courtney Upshaw is bound to make mistakes. But if the Ravens rookie outside linebacker erred in his first practice of training camp Thursday, inside linebacker Jameel McClain didn't notice. “I think there were [a few] mistakes out there for everybody at some point, but he didn't really make any glaring rookie mistakes because he was always on his P's and Q's,” McClain said. “He knew where he had to go, and he got there and he got his job done.” That approval brought a smile to Upshaw's face, but in a sign that he understands his role as a rookie, Upshaw quickly downplayed the compliment.

With little salary cap room and other priorities, the Ravens knew that they'd lose several key contributors from the team that beat the San Francisco 49ers last month to win Super Bowl XLVII. Their first free agent defection came less than an hour after the market opened today as outside linebacker Paul Kruger agreed to terms on a five-year deal with the Cleveland Browns worth $40 million, according to league sources. Kruger's loss was expected after the 27-year-old linebacker had a breakout 2012-13 season, leading the Ravens with nine sacks to go along with 42 tackles, one interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

The NFL offseason heats up on Tuesday when the free agency period begins and the NFL draft will take place next month. In anticipation of those events, blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will look at six key positions the Ravens might address in free agency and the NFL draft in the days leading up to the start of free agency. After finishing tied for third in sacks in 2011, the Ravens fell back into the middle of the pack with 37 sacks a year ago. There were a few significant factors in play -- the major injuries to Terrell Suggs, nagging ones to guys like Haloti Ngata and Pernell McPhee, and a change in defensive coordinators before the season -- but their struggles in getting to the quarterback consistently put a lot a stress on the back end of the defense.