In each installment of this series, we will take a look at a Baltimore Ravens position group and review it in preparation for the 2020 NFL Draft.
Coming up next in this series will be the Ravens Wide Receiver group.
Check out the other Ravens position group recaps. Quarterback | Running Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End and Fullback | Offensive Line | Defensive Line | Linebacker | Cornerback | Safety | Special Teams
Ravens Wide Receiver Recap: The Players
Marquise “Hollywood” Brown 5’9″, 170 pounds, 14 games
2019 stats– 71 targets, 46 receptions, 584 yards, 12.7 yards per catch, 64.8% catch percentage, seven touchdowns.
Miles Boykin 6’4″, 220 pounds, 16 games
2019 stats– 22 targets, 13 receptions, 198 yards, 15.2 yards per catch, 59.1% catch percentage, three touchdowns.
Willie Snead IV 5’11”, 200 pounds, 16 games
2019 stats– 46 targets, 31 receptions, 339 yards, 10.9 yards per catch, 67.4% catch percentage, five touchdowns.
Chris Moore 6’1″, 200 pounds, 14 games
2019 stats- Five targets, three catches, 21 yards,
7.0 yards per catch, 60.0% catch percentage,
zero touchdowns.
Jaleel Scott 6’5″, 210 pounds, three games
2019 stats- Three targets, one catch, six yards, 6.0 yards per catch, 33.3% catch percentage, zero touchdowns.
De’Anthony Thomas 5’8″, 176 pounds, eight games
2019 stats- Kick and punt returns. See the special teams recap for details.
Antoine Wesley 6’4″, 206 pounds, zero games
2019 stats- Spent the entire year on the Ravens practice squad.
Sean Modster 5’11”, 183 pounds, zero games
2019 stats- Spent the entire year on the Ravens practice squad.
Group Overview
It would be fair to say that this is an underwhelming group. In 2019, the Ravens wide receivers accounted for fewer yards, 1419 yards, than the tight end group, 1522 yards. Needless to say, the Ravens will be hoping to get a lot more production out of their wide receivers in 2020. With only one real star on the roster, the Ravens will need Miles Boykin to develop into a number one receiver or draft one in the upcoming draft.
The Headliners
The biggest bright spot of the 2019 Ravens wide receiver group is Hollywood Brown. A 2019 first-round pick, Brown played the entire season with a screw in his foot that he had removed this offseason. Despite this, Brown still displayed exceptional speed and big-play potential. With the screw now removed, Ravens fans have to be salivating at the thought of a healthy Brown catching deep balls from Lamar Jackson in 2020.
A route technician, Willie Snead was a popular target for Jackson in the middle of the field. Snead was often relegated to a security blanket role out of the slot. Where Snead really shined was with his blocking on the line in a devastating rushing attack. A free agent after the 2020 season, Snead will be looking to take on a larger role in the Ravens offense this year as he auditions for another contract. Boasting prototypical number one receiver size and speed, Miles Boykin flashed his potential numerous times throughout the 2019 season. Boykin has all of the tools to succeed in this league and the Ravens will be hoping he takes that next step in his second year.
The Supporting Cast
Chris Moore has shown potential at times in his career but has never really taken off at the receiver position. Where Moore has really shined is as a contributor on Special Teams, earning himself a contract extension this offseason. Jaleel Scott was drafted in 2018 for his red zone threat potential but has yet to live up to that billing. On injured reserve his rookie season, and inactive most of the 2019 season, Scott has not received many opportunities to this point. De’Anthony Thomas is listed as a wide receiver, however, a majority of his playing time comes on special teams as a returner. Antoine Wesley spent the entire season on the Ravens practice squad, but he did flash some potential during the 2019 preseason. Another practice squad member, Sean Modster offers an intriguing upside as a potential slot receiver.
Draft Expectations
Wide receiver should be considered one of the team’s biggest needs. Eric Decosta has already shared his feelings about this year’s wide receiver class. Decosta claimed there are as many as 25 draftable wide receivers this year. He even went as far as to say if the best player available is a wide receiver when they are on the clock, they will more than likely pick that player. Ultimately this means the Ravens could take a wide receiver with any one of their nine draft picks.
Look for the Ravens to continue to throw darts at the wide receiver board in the hopes of hitting on a future star. Since 2010, the Ravens have drafted 13 wide receivers as they continue to try and solve the wide receiver problem that has plagued this franchise since inception. In the past, the Ravens have tried to pick mid to late-round developmental wide receivers in hopes they reach their full potential. This strategy has not paid off, leading to the more recent trend of early-round wide receiver picks by the Ravens. Picking just one wide receiver(Torrey Smith) in the opening three rounds in the first five years of the 2010s, the Ravens have since selected two first-round wide receivers (Breshad Perriman and Brown). In addition to that, the Ravens have selected four wide receivers in the last two years in an attempt to restock the wide receiver cupboards.
What to expect:
If this recent trend is to continue, you should expect at least one early-round wide receiver to be selected by the Ravens. With this year’s draft class boasting the deepest wide receiver group since 2014, there is a good chance the Ravens will end up selecting two receivers by the end of this draft. Look for the Ravens to add a big-bodied receiver early, along with a developmental slot receiver later on.
Early-round targets: Tee Higgins, Chase Claypool, Michael Pitman Jr, Collin Johnson
Slot receiver targets: James Proche, Easop Winston, Aaron Fuller
Ravens Wide Receiver Group Grade
Overall Grade: C+
For the most part, this wide receiver group is average. With only Hollywood Brown offering consistent big-play potential, the rest of this group does not jump off the page. However, this group does have a ton of potential. Snead, the oldest of the group, is only 27 years old and already a fantastic slot receiver. Boykin has all of the tools to develop into a stud. Hollywood turned heads early and often with his speed and big plays. That being said, with all of their eggs in the “developing” basket, the Ravens need one of these potential stars to blossom this season.
