After taking receiver Zay Flowers in the first round of last year's draft, could the Baltimore Ravens double-dip and draft another weapon with their first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft?
One player who wouldn't be opposed to getting drafted by the Ravens is Florida State receiver Keon Coleman. At the combine, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound receiver said he had a "great interview" with the Ravens and spoke about potentially playing them. Coleman also said he'd look forward to the opportunity, especially if Odell Beckham Jr. got re-signed by Baltimore this offseason.
"I would be grateful for that," Coleman said. "And if they bring Odell back, that would be better. That's a great guy to learn from, and I don't even see him as a vet. He's still legit in my eyes. To be able to play with him, Lamar, Zay Flowers, that would be a dream."
Coleman put the football world on notice in Week 1 of the 2023 college football season with nine catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns against LSU. Coleman's performance against the Tigers was one of three games where he had at least two touchdowns. He finished his junior season with 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns.
In his sophomore season at Michigan State, he caught 58 passes for 798 yards and seven touchdowns.
With the Ravens' needs on the offensive line and potentially on defense, given their pending free agents, taking another receiver in the first round will come down to the potential impact they could have as a rookie. If they could have a similar rookie season to Flowers after he had 77 catches for 858 yards and five touchdowns in 2023, then taking a player like Coleman becomes much easier to defend. Given how OBJ helped Flowers' growth this season, re-signing the veteran receiver to a team-friendly contract to help mentor another rookie receiver like Coleman makes sense.
With Coleman, Baltimore would be drafting a receiver who can do it all and thrives in catching 50-50 balls and going above the rim to make the catch. That skillset could be the perfect complement to Flowers for years to come.
Any deal that helps Lamar Jackson and maximizes his ability as a quarterback makes sense. And if the Ravens think Coleman can do that for years to come, they should hesitate to take him or another receiver with a similar skillset in the first round.
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