Baltimore Ravens: 2015 NFL Draft Receiver Prospects to Watch
By Cole Moog
Longtime Ravens fans know that the receiving corps has never been the strength of this team. The Baltimore Ravens have always been known as a primarily defensively sound team; however, this past season, the Ravens had their most successful offensive season since their beginning in 1996.
This was partially due to their veteran signings in the off-season. They signed 35-year-old veteran Steve Smith Sr. and 32-year-old tight end Owen Daniels. Smith Sr. had a very impressive season racking up 1,065 yards and Daniels had an equally impressive campaign gaining 527 yards. These two players were crucial on third down and became a security blanket for Joe Flacco to look to in high-pressure situations.
However, the question is how much do they have left in the tank? For one, Owen Daniels in a free agent and may or may not re-sign with the Ravens, and the Ravens cannot rely on a pass catcher who turns 36 in May. The Ravens must look to the draft for wide receiver talent, they need youth to accompany the veterans to reach their offensive records they broke this past season. Here are some options they can look to in this year’s draft.
Day One Options:
Jaelen Strong, Arizona State
This may be wishful thinking, as I don’t believe Strong will be available at pick 26, but the nature of the draft can be very unpredictable.
Strong is a very talented prospect coming out of Tempe, Arizona. He has a very large catch radius, accompanied with a great ability to catch the ball in traffic. He has enough long speed to beat defenders deep but also keeps corners honest with quick cuts on double moves.
In his offense at Arizona State, they required him to run many different route combinations, which will give him an edge over some other wide receiver prospects. NFL teams will like him because he is not one-dimensional but can be a deep threat along with the ability to be a possession receiver.
Devin Smith, Ohio State
Smith has gained some strong traction towards the end of the 2014 season, showcasing his skills on the biggest of stages for everyone to see and winning the BCS National Championship.
I believe Devin Smith is the best deep threat in this wide receiver class. He has outstanding second gear acceleration to beat cheating safeties and slower corners in one-on-one match-ups. Smith averaged 28 yards per catch along with 12 touchdowns.
He needs work on underneath routes, as he rounds some of the shorter routes instead of making precise cuts, which causes him to lose the potential to gain separation from corners. The most impressive attribute is his ability to deal with change. In 2014, he had three different quarterbacks and still managed to produce and put up solid numbers. All of those factors make him a solid option at pick 26.
Devin Funchess, Michigan
Funchess has huge mismatch potential in the NFL, having made the switch from tight end to wide receiver in the 2014 season.
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He measures out at 6’5″, 230 pounds, which makes him very hard to tackle. He is very athletic for his size, but does lack obvious speed and quickness that lighter receivers bring to the table. Since, he only played wide receiver for a year, he has an undeveloped route tree compared to players who have played the position for multiple years.
Funchess showed massive improvement from his 2013 film, especially with his hands. Funchess can definitely be used as a red zone target due to his height, vertical and catch radius. I definitely prefer Devin Smith and Jaelen Strong over Funchess, but it would be interesting to see new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman use a player like Devin Funchess.
Day Two/Three Options:
Phillip Dorsett, Miami
Dorsett is my favorite day two option out the bunch. He is only 5’10”, so he will most likely play slot receiver in the NFL, but he has the potential to be a very explosive player.
His impressive route running ability makes up for his size, and he is very elusive in the open field. He specializes in making sharp cuts in underneath routes and turns them from a five-yard to a twenty-yard gain with his quickness. He was a punt and kick returner for the Hurricanes, so he will provide an instant special teams impact.
The obvious downside is his size, which will prevail him from getting separation at the line of scrimmage against bigger press coverage corners. However his speed, elusiveness, and explosive capability make him a strong second round option.
Nelson Agholor, USC
Another possible day two option is USC Trojan Nelson Agholor. He lived in the shadow of last year’s second round pick Marqise Lee in the 2013 season, but made a name for himself in 2014, bursting on to the scene and becoming quarterback Cody Kessler’s favorite target.
He is a very fundamental route runner and uses that to create space with quick feet and quick cuts. He is exceptionally sharp on the curl and comeback routes, which he abuses in man coverage.
The main knock against him that I saw on his film is that he often reacts slowly to the snap. His footwork is slow and awkward when he jumps off the snap. Agholor is also a very smart and instinctive player, always finding pockets in the zone and coming back to the quarterback to help him have an option to throw to when the play breaks down.
Along with Dorsett, Agholor was a punt and kick returner in college.
Jamison Crowder, Duke
Crowder is also a smaller receiver, even shorter than Phillip Dorsett, as he is listed at 5’9″. Crowder was used primarily as a deep threat at Duke because of his elite speed and second gear acceleration. Since he was used as a deep threat, his route tree is undeveloped, which will push him down to the late second or early third round at the earliest.
Crowder did struggle against press coverage because of his size but excelled against off man and zone coverage because of his speed and elusiveness in the open field. He lacks the ability to make contested catches that receivers like Devin Smith and Jaelen Strong make.
Crowder will definitely be used as a slot receiver at the next level. The Blue Devils offense used him often in the outside screen game, which he did very well in and showed elusiveness in that role. Crowder can be dangerous in open space, but still needs develop a medium range route tree along with the ability to break press coverage.