Nov 7, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) scores a fourth quarter touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Ravens' Rashod Bateman Taking Lessons From GOAT WR

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 7:00 AM ET

When studying others to refine one's craft, there's no one better to learn from than the best to ever do it. At least, that's how Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman sees it.

Bateman, 25, is coming off the best season of his young career, in which he caught 45 passes for 756 yards and nine touchdowns. As he looks to build off that career year, he's been hard at work watching film from past and present receivers, including Jerry Rice, inarguably the best to ever play the position.

"I watched a lot of Jerry Rice," Bateman told reporters Sunday. "I watch a lot of other guys in the league, even Zay Flowers. But you have to be a student of the game, and I'm blessed to be a student of the game."

"I love it, and I'm always trying to find different ways to tip off the DBs, to make them think I'm going left and go right. So, some guys don't have it, and some guys do have it, and me and Zay are definitely two receivers that I think definitely have what it takes to be at that elite level of route running."

Rice is the NFL's all-time leader in receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895) and receiving touchdowns (197), and no one's particularly close to him in any of those categories. It's hard to even name all the traits that helped him dominate as much as he did, but his route running, which Bateman is specifically studying, was very high on the list.

"You can see that he was ahead of his time when he was playing," Bateman said. "He ran routes how a lot of us do today, and there were not a lot of guys doing it back then, so he was definitely the 'OG' in route running for me, for sure."

More than anything, though, Bateman wants to prove himself as a consistent receiving threat. Last year was a fantastic start in that regard, but he knows that there's still plenty of room to grow.

"[Rice] is consistent on a lot, and I think as a receiver, you have to be consistent in how you move and with your feet. [Also] with your body language, your speed and tempos of how you do stuff."

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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