Ravens rookie WR Deonte Thompson working to earn roster spot

Deonte Thompson believed he was a draftable receiver. When his name wasn't called this past April, he was a little surprised that each team passed him over. But about an hour after the draft ended, the former University of Florida receiver quickly agreed to sign with Baltimore. So far, he's made the Ravens look real smart in their decision.

It began during rookie minicamp. Thompson was the most polished of the receivers brought in, smoothly entering the breaks in his routes. At one point you could see receivers coach Jim Hostler smiling, noticing that Baltimore may have found a prize in this year's undrafted rookie haul.

Thompson hasn't faltered. In Baltimore's first preseason game against Atlanta, he caught three passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. His score, which was a deep route, displayed his speed as he outran both a cornerback and a safety to grab a 22-yard toss from quarterback Curtis Painter.

"With these (preseason) games, it feels like a dream is coming true so far," Thompson said. "I have to keep grinding, going hard. I think I'm doing all the right things, I just have to keep moving."

Quarterback Joe Flacco took notice of Thompson's ability pretty quickly during organized team activities in May. Thompson even surprised Flacco a bit, standing out among the other young receivers.

"I didn't really know who he was," Flacco said. "One of the first days in OTAs I saw him running a route with one of the other units and I asked one of the coaches, 'Who is he?' Just because you could tell right away he looked good."

If Thompson was in the 2011 draft class, he might've been a lock to make last year's roster. However, Baltimore's receiving group looks fairly deep this year. Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith, Jacoby Jones and LaQuan Williams are sure bets to make the 53-man roster. Tandon Doss, who's been battling a hamstring injury lately, will also likely make the team.

That leaves one position potentially open if the Ravens decide to keep six receivers like they did in 2011. Thompson has some stiff competition in Tommy Streeter, a sixth-round pick who's both tall (6-5) and fast (4.4 40 yard dash), and David Reed, a veteran who has experience on offense and on special teams but is still rehabbing a torn ACL.

"It’s a long camp, that’s why we have the number of reps we do," coach John Harbaugh said. "We play the four preseason games to find out. We give our guys every opportunity. We will know by the end of the preseason who our best 53 players are.”

Before committing to the Gators, Thompson was a five-star standout at Glades Central High School in his home state of Florida. But in college, he played under three offensive coordinators, three receivers coaches and two head coaches in five years. His best season came in 2010, when he caught 38 passes for 570 yards and one touchdown.

But then coach Urban Meyer quit , and that ended the spread offense in Gainesville. Meyer which was followed by Will Muschamp, who brought more of a pro-style attack. Thompson's numbers regressed in 2011 to 21 catches for 264 yards and a touchdown.

"It was crazy, to learn a new offense every year," Thompson said. "I had three different receiving coaches in my last three years. But you know how that is, you just have to make the best of what you have."

Baltimore saw enough to give him a shot. What they've seen has definitely surprised them.

"We had some questions about how well he caught the ball," Hostler said. "Was he going to be able to transition that to this level? And he’s done great. It’s been outstanding. He’s a football player. He understands fundamentals. He understands football. He can play fast. He has done a really outstanding job so far. His (question) is going to be: Can he carry that over time?”

Thompson still has three more preseason games to go to prove he can be a member of Baltimore's 53-man roster, just like LaQuan Williams did a year ago as an undrafted free agent.

"I'm just going to keep going hard, to show what I can do," Thompson said. "I'm trying to make the best of my opportunity."

Follow Ravens reporter Jason Butt on Twitter @CBSSportsNFLBAL and @JasonButtCBS.