Do the Ravens need to add more receiving talent?
For several years now, the common refrain when doing a post-mortem on the Baltimore Ravens’ season has often boiled down to the statement that, “Lamar Jackson does not have the wide receiver talent to take the team to the next level.” Surprisingly enough, this statement is echoed both by detractors and supporters of the team alike, seemingly indicating that there could be a degree of truth to this logic. Since 2018, when Jackson joined the team, there has been only a single wide receiver, with only a single season, where they managed to gain more the 1,000 receiving yards, with that being Marquise Brown in the 2021 season with 1,008 receiving yards. Even more interesting, over that stretch, no wide receiver even topped 800 receiving yards aside from Brown in that season, giving further support to those claims.
Additionally, there are rumors that even Jackson himself may subscribe to this belief, or a variation of it. During his recent contract negotiations, which resulted in a five-year extension worth as much as $260 million dollars, it was reported that part of the delay in getting a deal agreed to was that Jackson wanted a commitment, on the part of the organization, to focus improving the wide receiver corps. How true that claim is remains unverifiable, however, Baltimore did add free agent Odell Beckham Jr. this offseason which could add some credibility to these rumors.
PITTSBURGH, PA - December 05: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) concentrates and throws downfield during the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens on December 5, 2021 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire)
Who did the Baltimore Ravens select in the 2023 NFL Draft?
Furthermore, as it relates to the draft itself, the Ravens further improved that wide receiver room by selecting Zay Flowers – Boston College with their first round selection, the 22nd overall. The addition of Flowers now gives Jackson, arguably, the best opening day set of wide receivers starters he has had in his NFL career with Rashod Bateman joining Beckham and Flowers to round out the starting group. Furthermore, Baltimore added Todd Monken as their offensive coordinator this offseason, making the likelihood of a second 1,000 receiving yard season from this group of wide receivers even more likely.
When Day Two rolled around, the Ravens were uncharacteristically quiet having traded away their second round selection, the 53rd overall, as part of a deal to obtain Roquan Smith last season. The trade also included the fifth round selection of Baltimore in this draft. With making any additional moves to acquire picks in Day Two, the Ravens were left only with their third round selection, the 86th overall, a pick they used on linebacker Trenton Simpson – Clemson. This pick was a little surprising for a couple of reasons, first, the need was not particularly there as Baltimore currently has the aforementioned Smith securely locked into their interior linebacker role after he signed a five-year contract extension in January of this year for $100 million dollars. Meanwhile at the weak-side linebacker position, the team has Patrick Queen in the final season of his rookie contract. I mention this because the position was not an immediate need. Second, the fact that Simpson fell all the way into the late third round is surprising in its own right as Simpson was my top-rated linebacker in this class. I had projected him to be selected in either the first or second round so for the Ravens to be able to draft him at least a full round later was, undeniably quite a bargain. This selection, while not an immediate need, could very well have been a case of value outweighing need and Baltimore simply selecting the best player available to them at the pick. While unlikely to be an immediate, significant contributor in his rookie season, this may, very well, spell the last season Queen is wearing purple and black.
Day Three saw the Ravens select an additional four players, edge Tavius Robinson – Ole Miss (pick 124), cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly – Stanford (pick 157), offensive tackle Malaesala Aumavae–Laulu – Oregon (pick 199), and guard Andrew Vorhees – USC (pick 229). These selection have several value sprinkled in as well as a few instances of depth addressed, making for an overall above average Day Three as it relates to value.
With our fourth-round pick, we have selected OLB Tavius Robinson from Ole Miss!
Welcome to Baltimore, @taviusrobinson! pic.twitter.com/2HwpjnnDYP
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 29, 2023
Notable players of this group are Kelly and Vorhees which represent significant value selections. Kelly, while unlikely to crack the starting lineup in his first season or two, does present great value in terms of depth behind Marlon Humphrey. He could see some snaps in some packages where a pass is all but a certainty and could also see some time as a special teams player. While he is not quite the player Humphrey is, Kelly should fill in reasonably well in the event of an injury or other situation that could cause Humphrey to miss any time.
As for Vorhees, so many draft enthusiasts, myself included, felt that he could come off the board as early as the first round and certainly by the second round due, in large part, to the positional flexibility he presented. Therefore, for Baltimore to be able to select him all that way in the middle of the seventh round was downright shocking. This precipitous fall is due, very likely, to Vorhees having the unfortunate luck of tearing his ACL in the middle of the NFL Combine. The result, as you can see, likely cost him millions in potential earnings but, the Ravens got an amazing value in the process. Vorhees will not play in his rookie season but he could ultimately move up the depth chart and midway through his rookie contract, he could be in position to see significant playing time. The value here is off the charts and Baltimore likely got one of the best steals in this draft class.
What grade did the Baltimore Ravens get on their draft?
As I do with every piece in this series, the Ravens will be graded on both the short-term and long-term values they were able to identify in their draft class. First, Baltimore earns a B grade for their short-term value. This is primarily due to just one player, Flowers, likely finding their way into the starting line up as a rookie. With six selections in this class, one would hope the team could find, at the very least, another immediate starter. The inability to do just this makes it difficult to award a grade much higher than this. However, based on the strength of the Day Three selections I mentioned, as well as the Simpson pick on Day Two, the grade the Ravens get for long-term value is easily an A+. These three players each have bright futures in the NFL and, for one reason or another, fell lower in the draft than I feel they should have. Obviously Baltimore agreed and their future looks brighter due to their willingness to take chances on high-upside players.
