His final season was one to forget, and he wasn't among the 254 picks in the 2019 NFL draft. But that wasn't enough to keep one of most productive players in Louisville football history out of the NFL.

Wide receiver Jaylen Smith will sign with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent on Saturday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Louisville confirmed the news via Twitter. That announcement came after no Louisville players were selected in the NFL draft for the first time since 2013 and just the fourth time since 2000.

The 21-year-old Smith will have to work to make the Ravens roster, similar to how he made a name for himself at Louisville. He joined the Cardinals as a mildly sought, three-star recruit out of Pascagoula, Mississippi, and left as a four-year starter, ranking ninth in school history with 152 receptions and sixth with 2,505 yards.

The 6-foot-2, 219 pound-Smith experienced his strongest season in 2017 as a junior. He developed a strong rapport with quarterback Lamar Jackson, catching a team-high 60 passes for 980 yards and seven touchdowns as Jackson won the Heisman Trophy.

Smith considered joining Jackson as an early entrant in the 2018 NFL draft. But after consulting with doctors, Smith decided his wrist would not allow him to catch passes or lift weights at the NFL combine.

He opted to return to school for his senior season, while Jackson and fellow junior, cornerback Jaire Alexander, left and were both selected in the first round of last year's NFL draft. Jackson is the starting quarterback for the Ravens.

"I was about a text message away from coming out," Smith recalled in March. "It was a very tough decision for me to come back. But I look at it still as a lesson instead of a loss. Looking in hindsight, the numbers were there. Everything was there for me."

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Smith's final year did not go as planned. An emergency appendectomy limited him at the start of 2018. He failed to develop the same bond with Jackson's replacements at quarterback and was plagued by dropped passes.

Smith finished his senior season with just 36 receptions, 550 yards receiving and one touchdown. Louisville went 2-10 after going 25-14 in his first three years. Known for always being candid and upbeat, Smith stayed true to form after the season.

"A lot of stuff went wrong (in 2018)," he said. "We got off to a slow start and things roll downhill fast. You roll a snowball downhill, it picks up pace. A lot of people were kind of checking out early, (weren’t) buying in. We knew that if we didn’t get it done early, the back end of our schedule was tough."

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Despite his underwhelming performance, Smith said he felt he "put a lot of good stuff on film." He was invited to both the Senior Bowl and the NFL combine, and was ranked by ESPN as the 27th-best at his position, and No. 216 player overall heading into the draft.

Even though he wasn't selected in the three-day, seven-round NFL draft, he'll head to Baltimore where he'll join a wide receiver that includes Marquise Brown and Miles Boykins, who were drafted in the first and third rounds this year, respectively.

Smith said in March that he's ready for the next level — and will do whatever it takes to stay there.

"I’m highly intelligent," Smith said. "I don’t brag on size, on speed. That’s something a lot of people here have. I brag on being able to go inside and outside, (play) all three positions at receiver. I brag on having the willingness to go play special teams ... It’s not something that was a burden to me, it’s something that I enjoyed."

Louisville offensive lineman signs free agent deal

Another Louisville player will also have the opportunity to make the NFL the hard way as offensive lineman Lukayus McNeil signed a free agent deal with the Oakland Raiders.

The 24-year-old from Indianapolis made his way from homelessness to Division I football and was a three-star recruit when he signed with Louisville. Listed at 6-foot-6 and 328 pounds, he played in 49 games in his Cardinals career, mostly as a starter, and shifting between guard and tackle.

Justin Sayers: 502-582-4252; jsayers@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @_JustinSayers. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/justins.