When Eric DeCosta took over as the Ravens general manager in 2019, he prioritized adding a deep group of young wide receivers to the roster.
It was an area he thought the team was lacking over the previous years. The Ravens had never selected a Pro Bowl wide receiver over their entire history.
As a result, DeCosta wanted to add as much talent as possible.
“One of the biggest things that we have to do is just take some at-bats and swing,” DeCosta said at the time. “It’s hard to be a .400 hitter if you’re only at-bat twice. We’ve got to take some chances. We’ve got to find some guys that we like and try to appreciate the really good football players, the guys that make plays.”
DeCosta stayed true to his work and has selected six wide receivers over the past three drafts, including a pair of first-round picks.
The fruits of his labor are beginning to pay off.
Marquise Brown, a first-round pick in 2019, was second on the team with 91 receptions for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns last season. Brown and tight end Mark Andrews were the second tandem in franchise history to reach the 1,000-yard mark in the same season, joining Michael Jackson and Derrick Alexander in 1996.
Rashod Bateman, a first-round pick last season, has the potential to be a true No. 1 wide receiver if he can stay healthy. He’s a smooth route runner and had 46 receptions for 515 yards with a touchdown. Bateman is not afraid to catch balls in traffic.
Devin Duvernay, a third-round pick in 2020, has excelled on special teams and made the Pro Bowl in just his second year. Duvernay also flashes as a wideout and had 33 receptions for 272 yards and two touchdowns.
James Proche, a sixth-round pick in 2020, and Tylan Wallace, a fourth-round pick in 2021, have also shown solid potential but have been stuck at the bottom of the depth chart. That could change this season if the Ravens don’t re-sign Sammy Watkins and/or part ways with Miles Boykin.
DeCosta appears happy with this young group of wideouts on the current roster and is not feeling any pressure to add another playmaker in this year’s draft. There are other areas that need to be addressed, namely in the trenches and secondary.
A lesson the Ravens learned (again…) is that you can never have too many corners. For that reason, @DarinMccann thinks some early CBs could be on EDC's radar. Here are a few he likes. #RavensFlock https://t.co/8KL08a6iUW
— Russell St. Report (@RussellStReport) February 22, 2022
“I’m very comfortable where we are at the receiver position,” DeCosta said at the end of this past season. “I think people saw a lot of growth last year at that position. We had a nice mix of younger players who continued to improve throughout the year. We’ll look at ways of augmenting that position group, but I would not expect any significant additions at this time.
“That can always change, but at this time, I think we’re very comfortable with where we are with that group.”
However, there is a potential distraction this offseason.
Brown deleted all of his Ravens pictures on social media, which fueled all kinds of conjecture about his future with the team. It’s odd considering DeCosta made a rare confirmation that the Ravens are going to pick up Brown’s fifth-year option that will cost the team about $13 million.
“Marquise was my first pick [as a GM],” DeCosta said. “I think very highly of Marquise. I think he is a talent. I love his personality, his competitiveness, his passion.”
Brown does have the tendency to pout when he doesn’t get the ball and goes through mini slumps during the season where he suffers from dropped passes.
He also has yet to establish himself as a true No. 1 wide receiver and he is definitely a player to watch this season.
The other young wide receivers are worth watching for more positive reasons.
