In what seems to be an annual conversation at this point, the Ravens are once again having discussions about what to do at the receiver position.
While those two statements seem slightly contradictory, it makes sense to explore receiving options in this year’s draft class. According to NFL Mock Draft Database, 19 of the consensus top 100 prospects this year are wideouts, signaling that, even if Baltimore opts to address the offensive line with their early draft capital, they may still be able to pick up an impact receiver in the second round and beyond. Looking past 2024, they’ll certainly need the reinforcements.
To their credit, Baltimore’s receiving offense did see improvement in the ‘23-’24 season. Their run-first approach still landed them in the bottom half of the league in receiving yards (21st), but this was an uptick from 30th in ‘22-’23. They also made a massive jump in yards per reception, as they improved from 10.8 YPC two years ago (23rd in the league) to 11.8 YPC last season (5th in the league). Undoubtedly, the addition of Zay Flowers and his immediate chemistry with Lamar Jackson had a lot to do with the improvement, but that bump is impressive, especially given the lengthy absence of Mark Andrews at the end of the year. The improvement in efficiency, leading to a league-low seven interceptions last season, was something I touched on in a recent piece following Nelson Agholor’s extension.
While Nelly was a focal point in that piece, another current member of the receiver room has been at the center of a lot of conversation around the Flock recently: Rashod Bateman. Specifically, whether the front office should pick up Bate’s 5th-year option.
