Ravens depth chart battle: Can Devin Duvernay become WR2 in 2020?

Can Devin Duvernay become the Ravens WR2 in 2020?

How are you supposed to defend the Baltimore Ravens?

Baltimore’s 2019 season was an incredible display of unstoppable offense, at least up until their disappointing and unexpected playoff loss at the hands of the Tennessee Titans.

The Ravens did everything well in 2019.

They led the NFL in:

• Points per game (33.2)
• Passing touchdowns (37)
• Rushing yards (3,296)

The most incredible statistic is the Ravens being number one in the NFL in passing touchdowns considering they ranked 32nd — dead last — in pass attempts.

Talk about efficiency.

It’s going to be tough for Baltimore to repeat that kind of efficiency on offense both in the run and passing game, but they’re certainly not making life any easier on opponents.

In addition to returning most of their offensive skill players from a season ago, the Ravens used the 2020 NFL Draft to add more playmakers in Ohio State running back JK Dobbins and Texas wide receiver Devin Duvernay.

I also loved their sixth-round pick of James Proche.

The one area the Ravens’ roster was somewhat lacking last season was at the wide receiver position, though first-round pick Marquise Brown made his presence felt when he was on the field.

Ravens 2019 wide receiver snap counts, targets

• 1. Willie Snead, 679 snaps (46 targets)
• 2. Marquise Brown, 563 snaps (71 targets)
• 3. Seth Roberts, 552 snaps (35 targets)
• 4. Miles Boykin, 425 snaps (22 targets)

Seth Roberts has moved on to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, so with Snead, Brown, and Boykin as the top three players returning, there figures to be some shuffling in the personnel department for the Ravens.

One of the most underrated pickups this team made in the 2020 NFL Draft was snatching up Texas Longhorns wide receiver Devin Duvernay in the third round.

In case you needed confirmation of what this team thinks of Duvernay, keep in mind John Harbaugh’s now-famous reaction during the draft:

Duvernay is a very interesting specimen at the wide receiver position, built like a running back with running back traits in the open field and track-star speed.

Duvernay ran a 4.39 at the Scouting Combine and has the look of a dynamic presence out of the slot in the NFL.

The Ravens will undoubtedly love his physical style of play at the wide receiver position but how high can he ascend on the 2020 depth chart for Baltimore?

Based on the fact that Willie Snead led the team in snaps at wide receiver in 2019, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Duvernay become the Ravens’ WR2 sooner rather than later.

Especially considering how excited the Ravens were to get him in the draft, this is a player to keep an eye on this season.

His speed, quickness, and explosiveness make him really tough to cover out of the slot and really difficult to track down and tackle in the open field.

The Ravens utilizing Duvernay in their many RPO plays sounds like a deadly combination.

This team was already really tough to defend, but Duvernay’s presence out of the slot makes life even tougher for defensive coordinators scheming against the Ravens.