Ravens Hope to Learn from DeAndre Hopkins

The Baltimore Ravens' wide receiver room is one of the more versatile positional groups their roster has to offer. They have young weapons like Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman still entering their primes, older targets like Mark Andrews who understand the Baltimore system as well as anyone and a litany of pass-catchers for Lamar Jackson to air the ball out to.

Some analysts have pointed to this sector of the team's potential scorers as one of the weaker links of their offense, a slew of solid options who lack the kind of "alpha" who can hang with other game-changing Ravens like quarterback Lamar Jackson or running back Derrick Henry, but their front office has shown little reluctance in the team-building strategy.

They showed their commitment to Jackson's core weapons in free agency, playing the conservative route by bringing in just one name. DeAndre Hopkins was the sole receiver acquisition they invested in, seeing him as someone who can put up above-average numbers behind Flowers and Bateman as the veteran approaches a different point in his career.

The Ravens envision him providing more than just raw numbers, though. ESPN's Dan Graziano caught up with Baltimore coaches during training camp, and he learned how some of Hopkins' recent stops have shaped what his newest team is hoping to get out of their time together.

"When I was at the Super Bowl, I remember a couple of [Kansas Sity] Chiefs coaches telling me how impressed they were with wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins' coaching ability after they'd traded for him midseason," Graziano reported. "They credited Hopkins with helping the development of rookie receiver Xavier Worthy, saying Hopkins would grab Worthy after drives and go over routes with him on the tablets. Hopkins even made suggestions for changing practice drills that were well-received enough that the Chiefs' coaches changed the drills."

"Harbaugh said the Ravens have seen some of that since signing Hopkins in the offseason -- that Hopkins has been a help to Jackson in terms of figuring out passing game concepts that Jackson likes and getting offensive coordinator Todd Monken to add them to the playbook. Hopkins isn't done playing, obviously, but late in his career he seems like the type of player who can have an impact on a team in a lot of different ways."

It's true that the 5x Pro Bowler who's now suited up for as many teams isn't the star he once was, but coaches all training camp long have sworn by his still being overqualified for your average platoon wideout.

He's seen a lot in the league, bouncing between strange situations before suddenly finding himself in last February's Super Bowl, and the team's looking to invest into how he can shape the young receivers' abilities to flourish within the offense as well as how Jackson's leading the offense.

Hopkins will be a much-needed respected voice within the unit, much like the presence the Ravens are hoping to get out of Jaire Alexander in the cornerback room. He may not be shouldering the same offensive burden he once was, but Hopkins' importance to the team will still reflect his pedigree.