It was 20 years ago when the Baltimore Ravens took a risk by drafting returner Jermaine Lewis in the fifth round despite not being able to get a hold of him on the phone.

In this year's fourth round, general manager Ozzie Newsome thought he was going to have to do that again.

The Ravens decided to take Nebraska offensive tackle Alex Lewis with the No. 130 overall pick, but Newsome was having trouble reaching him on his cell. Lewis was at the grocery store and the call was breaking up because of a poor signal.

With the Ravens having two of the next four picks in a hectic fourth round, Newsome turned it over to coach John Harbaugh, who called the family home.

“So I get on the phone with his mom and I go, ‘Is Alex there?’ And she goes, ‘No, he’s not, may I ask who’s calling?’ ” Harbaugh said. “And I’m like, ‘Uh, it’s John Harbaugh with the Ravens.’ ”

When Lewis' mother asked how she could help Harbaugh, he said, "Well, we were hoping that Alex would become a Baltimore Raven, and we’re thinking about drafting him. Is he there right now?"

His mother told Harbaugh that he went to the store but would be back in a little while. Harbaugh relayed what happened to the Ravens' draft room and asked how he should proceed.

Adding to this crazy situation, Lewis' mother asked, "Now, who is this team again?"

Harbaugh said it was the Ravens and he could hear pandemonium break loose on the other end of the phone. It was around that time Lewis got back home.

"And we had a great conversation with him," Harbaugh said.

Lewis is expected to compete with James Hurst as the Ravens' top backup at tackle and could get a shot to start in 2017. Rick Wagner, the starting right tackle the last two seasons, is only signed through the end of this season.