Ravens WR Draft History During Lamar Jackson Era

The young Flowers, for his part, is still ascending, having asserted himself as the team's top wideout from nearly the day he was drafted #22 overall in 2023. He cracked 1,000 yards in his first Pro Bowl season last fall, averaging 14.3 yards per reception on 74 catches. Should Andrews stay, he and Flowers will continue making for one of the better catching tandems in the NFL.

Baltimore's receiver depth beyond their competent starters, however, leaves a bit more to be desired. The Ravens have picked up plenty of solid rotational catching threats over the years, but few keepers given their repeated attempts at trying to find Lamar-like gems later in the draft.

Floaters, Journeymen and Unanswered Questions

Baltimore clearly had tight end fever in 2018, with third round pick Andrews not even being the highest selected Raven at his position. Hayden Hurst memorably went 25th overall, eight picks ahead of Jackson. He was functional without ever registering as much to write home about, having donned four other jerseys since getting traded by the Ravens in 2020.

The year following the introduction of Jackson, Andrews and Hurst introduced Baltimoreans to Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, a fun receiver and regular touchdown scorer who ultimately fell a bit short of living up to the first-round pick title. He shared the up-and-coming years with Ravens fans before he, too, got involved in a trade. The last three years have seen injuries get the better of Brown, as he suited up in just two early outings for Kansas City last season.

Despite those early "meh" first round swings, DeCosta has been known to get good value out of complementary catchers.

Slot worker Devin Duvernay and routine deep threat Rashod Bateman were routinely featured in plenty of impact plays, with Bateman sustaining as a tertiary playmaker and Duvernay once joining an All- Pro First-Team as a punt returner before departing for Jacksonville before last season. Isaiah Likely, still coming into his own, has shown flashes of the famed double-tight end offensive strategy that's recently overtaken NFL offenses.

The rest of Baltimore's attempts at finding another receiver on the margins requires few individual mentions; Miles Boykin had a moment as an occasional deep ball catcher, and a few young guys like Tylan Wallace and Devontez Walker are still sticking around Baltimore, waiting for further opportunity.

The Ravens have a good history of drafting, with the team regularly finding value without needing top picks every year. They've swooped up some good receivers over the years, but could use some more firepower at the top with Andrews' future uncertain and expectations of contending as demanding as ever. Several mock drafts are preparing for the Ravens to try again toward the top of their draft board, and if a recent study shows us anything, they can make their higher picks count.