Former Maryland football defensive lineman Mbi Tanyi accepted rookie minicamp offers from the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers, respectively, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The Ravens are hosting rookie minicamp this weekend while the Chargers’ minicamp is May 10 through May 12.
Tanyi started all 12 games of the 2018 season for the Terps, tallying 36 tackles and two tackles for a loss. The Houston native opened his campaign with four tackles and a sack at FedEx Field when Maryland upset then-No. 23 Texas for the second straight year. Tanyi followed that with multitackle games in all but one of the final 11 contests, including a season-high five in week three’s loss to Temple.
[Read more: Hard work has gotten Mbi Tanyi this far. Now, he hopes it can take him to the NFL.]
After tearing his left labrum during practice early in his freshman year, Tanyi tore his right labrum against Minnesota in 2016. He played through the injury both times, totaling 13 tackles between his first two seasons in College Park.
Finally healthy in 2017, Tanyi appeared in 12 games and compiled 20 tackles. He posted a career-high seven tackles in a 17-7 loss to Michigan State in the penultimate week of the season.
[Read more: Baltimore Ravens invite Maryland wide receiver Taivon Jacobs to rookie minicamp]
While the Ravens drafted two defensive lineman — edge rusher Jaylon Ferguson in the third round and defensive tackle Daylon Mack in the fifth — Baltimore is considering adding another defensive lineman to its roster, the source told The Diamondback.
Four of Tanyi’s former teammates were drafted — safety Darnell Savage, running back Ty Johnson, defensive lineman Byron Cowart and offensive lineman Derwin Gray. A growing list of others have signed undrafted free agent deals, such as linebacker Tre Watson and offensive lineman Brendan Moore, or accepted minicamp invites.
Tanyi featured primarily as a defensive tackle for Maryland, but at 6-foot-2 and 283 pounds, Tanyi could be shifted to the outside to take advantage of his athleticism as an edge rusher. Regardless of where he lines up, though, Tanyi will have a chance to compete at two rookie minicamps for a shot to make a roster at the next level.
