OWINGS MILLS — The Baltimore Ravens could use a young downfield threat to bolster their wide receiver corps, which is primarily comprised of veterans Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason.
And general manager Ozzie Newsome acknowledged that the team is likely to use one of their nine draft selections on the wide receiver position.
Drafting 26th overall in the first round, the Ravens are considered unlikely to address the position right away.
"We’ve done a good job of stacking the board with some guys that have some size, some guys have some unique quickness about them and some guys that have some flat-out speed," Newsome said today at team headquarters. "It’s a very good board for receivers this year. I do foresee, unless something changes, of those nine picks we have, probably one of them will be a receiver."
University of Maryland wide receiver Torrey Smith, Pitt wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin and North Carolina wide receiver Greg Little all visited the Ravens.
The Ravens could also consider receivers such as Leonard Hankerson (Miami), Titus Young (Boise State), Greg Salas (Hawaii) and Austin Pettis (Boise State).
"That second tier of guys comes in all shapes and sizes," Ravens director of college scouting Joe Hortiz said. "There’s some big vertical-speed guys, there’s some possession guys that aren’t as fast but know how to get open underneath."
Hortiz referenced Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown’s speed and also mentioned how quickly Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Williams excelled last season.
"If you look at the contributions of rookie wideouts in the past couple of years, there’s some guys in the fifth round," Hortiz said. "It’s less in terms of where they’re drafted. It’s just in terms of how they pick things up, how they’re working and acclimate to the pro game."
NOTES: DeCosta tore his Achilles tendon playing racquetball and is going to undergo surgery before the draft. … University of Maryland wide receiver LaQuan Williams visited the Ravens. Williams is a local prospect from Baltimore Poly High School. He was a freshman all-conference selection. Last season, he blocked two punts and earned special teams captain honors while starting three games at wide receiver. He also caught a touchdown against Florida International and Wake Forest. … The Ravens won’t be able to sign undrafted free agents or recruit them in terms of verbal agreements due to the lockout. "That’s uncharted territory," Newsome said. "Once that last card gets turned in, then lights out. [There are] going to be a lot of good football players that are going to be available out there. It’s uncharted waters. It’s going to be interesting to see how it plays itself out."
