Baltimore Ravens: WR position suddenly crowded with young talent

As the Baltimore Ravens have built through the NFL Draft and have signed some UDFAs at wide receiver, how will this crowded position look for 2019?

The Baltimore Ravens have completely reshaped their wide receiver core from last year, getting receivers that can both separate and have the speed to threaten defenses on any given play.

Michael Crabtree (free agent), John Brown (Bills), and Breshad Perriman (Browns) are all long gone and the only receivers they kept from last year are Willie Snead, Chris Moore, and the two rookies they drafted (Jordan Lasley and Jaleel Scott).

Snead was a restricted free agent pickup prior to last season, and he led the Ravens in catches so his spot as a slot receiver should be locked. Moore should get a shot at starting and has improved with more playing time (he is also a core special teamer).

Both Lasley and Scott (former Day 3 picks from 2018) did not play any significant time last year so their jobs are in jeopardy. Quincy Adeboyejo is the forgotten man on the depth chart but I do not expect him to stay on the team as he was on the practice squad in 2017 and dealt with a leg injury that landed him on the P.U.P. list in 2018.

With the receivers Baltimore had before the 2019 NFL Draft, I only see potentially two spots that are locked in (Snead and Moore) as the Ravens added a number of players in the offseason so far.

Seth Roberts (Raiders) was brought in during free agency before the draft but he only signed a one year deal so his spot is far from secure despite being one of the better blocking receivers the Ravens have.

In the 2019 NFL Draft, the Ravens selected Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin on Days 1 and 2.

Marquise “Hollywood” Brown (Antonio Brown’s cousin) was productive at Oklahoma as a speedy playmaker who can score on any play. He’s a versatile chess piece for a dynamic offense. Brown does have durability concerns with his size and could not participate at the NFL Scouting Combine/ Oklahoma Pro Day due to a Lisfranc injury.

Notre Dame receiver Miles Boykin is an athletic specimen for his size and gives the Ravens a possession receiver who complements Hollywood well. Boykin showed out at the combine with one of the best all-around performances I have seen from a wide receiver (other than bench press) and even compares to Calvin Johnson, according to Mockdraftable.

Both can separate with their route running ability and bring tons of speed to the Baltimore receiving core. I could see the final depth chart at wide receiver look like this for the Ravens: Marquise Brown (rookie), Miles Boykin (rookie), Willie Snead (slot), and Chris Moore are definite on the roster. Seth Roberts, Jaleel Scott, and Jordan Lasley are potentially on the chopping block if one of the undrafted rookie free agent receivers snag the last spot.

The real wildcards are Scott and Lasley as they have to impress in the preseason, especially if one of the undrafted rookie free agents plays better than either of them. Also, Roberts could get the 2nd to last spot as either Jaleel Scott or Jordan Lasley get the last spot if none of the undrafted rookie free agent receivers impress.

This is assuming they are done adding to receiver prior to the 2019 season, which I do not think they are with the final roster cuts done before September.

The Ravens signed a few notable undrafted rookie free agents at wide receiver and thanks to Baltimore Feather for creating the full UDFAs list; I will list the wide receivers and what they bring to Baltimore.

Lamar Jackson’s teammate at Louisville, Jaylen Smith was an addition I expected if he was not drafted or signed by another team. Smith’s production fell off after Jackson left, so they could bring the same college connection to the pros and he has a chance to show out in the preseason.

Texas Tech’s Antoine Wesley was someone I thought could have been drafted (as a productive one-year wonder) and at his stature, he could give Jackson a big target who is an underrated route runner for his size. Out of all of these undrafted free agent receivers, I could see Wesley make the team as he was a potential Day 3 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

The other two receivers Sean Modster out of Boise State and Juston Christion out of Marist are on the outside looking in for now, but they should provide depth in training camp and OTAs.

I expect a close battle in the summer for the receiver spots as competition should be ramped up this year, especially if they are not done at bringing in receivers in the offseason.

Either way, this Ravens wide receiver group looks younger and much more talented than previous year’s as first-year general manager Eric DeCosta made a statement and wanted to attack this position primarily through the draft.