Ravens vow to address receiver needs in draft

There is no greater need for the Ravens than at wide receiver. Poor drafting at the position and lack of cap space has put Baltimore in a spot where they must draft a receiver this year. 

In the Ravens pre-draft press conference on Wednesday, Head Coach John Harbaugh vowed to pick at least one receiver this April, per The Athletic.

Baltimore has failed to secure a top-tier target for QB Lamar Jackson, despite drafting heavily at the position. With little cap space to work with, thanks to Jackson's ongoing contract saga, Baltimore is left with the draft as the most efficient way to improve their pass-catching. 

After years of failing to improve the passing game, Baltimore moved on from Greg Roman and made a change at offensive coordinator to former Georgia coordinator Todd Monken. Monken is expected to fix the passing attack that has failed to maximize their star QB's passing abilities. 

Fixing the Ravens' passing attack will need to start with beefing up the WR position. Currently, the Ravens receiving room is highlighted by Rashod Bateman, Devin Duvernay, and Nelson Agholor. 

Bateman has looked impressive but has failed to stay healthy in his first two seasons. Duvernay has been solid but is more of a WR2/gadget player. Agholor is the new addition who came cheap but has failed to catch on with multiple different teams. 

This year's class doesn't have the large number of top-15 picks that previous years have boasted, though Harbaugh remained optimistic that there are receivers in this draft that can help the Ravens win now. 

"There are a lot of guys that we like,” Harbaugh said per The Athletic. “In really every round, I think there are guys who could make our team. In the early rounds, there are a number of guys who could start for us even. So, you start with that. Then it’s, ‘OK, who fits us in terms of what Todd is looking for and in terms of how we’re building the offense in terms of the guys we already have?"

PFF gave four receivers out of this year's prospects first-round grades. Quentin Johnson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers, and Jordan Addison are the top-ranked pass catchers. None of them appear to be as safe a bet as names like Garrett Wilson or Ja'Marr Chase, but they all have enough upside to be considered future starters. 

Baltimore will likely have to pin their hopes on the draft yet again this April in hopes of finally getting a game-changing player.