Getty Rashod Bateman catches a pass against Michigan.
The Baltimore Ravens have finished off the first round of the rookie program for the 2021 offseason, and perhaps one of the best parts of the weekend was the performance of a key young weapon.
Baltimore managed to work all their rookies into the fold in a confident way, but arguably, the most impressive player ended up being wideout Rashod Bateman, who made plenty of big catches and nice plays while being on the field with his contemporaries.
The Ravens posted a look at some of the goings on inside rookie camp over the weekend, and it was hard to miss Bateman getting up field and doing some damage in the passing game like the team hopes for him to do in the coming seasons on the field.
Here’s a small sample of some of Bateman’s best work from the weekend:
Smooth. 😈
Incoming 👀
During the weekend of work, Bateman’s smooth abilities to catch passes were amongst the top focal points for the Ravens. If there’s been one thing the team has needed, it’s a dependable deep threat to go with the other wideouts on the roster. Bateman hopes to provide this to the team quickly next season.
If this work was any indication, the Ravens could be in good shape to receive a boost from Bateman given plays just like this.
Ravens Wideout Group Looks Upgraded
Following the conclusion of the draft, Pro Football Focus took a look at some of the roster spots across the league that were improved in big ways. Baltimore’s X receiver spot was named by Pro Football Focus as one of the most improved position groups in the NFL. Writer Seth Galina was impressed by not only the players they added, but their fit with the team.
He wrote:
“The Ravens’ biggest need in the draft was a true outside receiver who could win one-on-one battles and keep defenses honest. NFL defenses did not care about who they put on the outside last season, choosing to instead allocate an enormous amount of resources to stopping the slot receivers, tight ends and run game.
Throwing to outside receivers was wasteful last season in Baltimore. They were a bottom-quarter team in both yards per route run and contested-catch percentage for players lined up outside. In comes free agent signing Sammy Watkins, first-round pick Rashod Bateman and fourth-round pick Tylan Wallace. Seeing Bateman fall to Baltimore at Pick 27 represents incredible value. He’s a top-20 talent. Wallace provides some insurance later in the draft at a similar position.”
Already, Bateman seems to be taking to his new surroundings and ready to make a huge impact on the game in order to help out the team’s offense.
Bateman’s Stats and Highlights
It’s true what is being said about Bateman and he is a player who could be a major difference maker for a team that takes a chance on him in the draft. While at Minnesota, Bateman put up solid numbers, with 2,395 yards and 19 touchdowns. As a result of this work in college, Bateman is seen as a potential stud in the making for teams in the draft, and could be a good alternative further down the board in the first round where the Ravens are slated to pick this season.
Bateman has proven himself the biggest weapon in Minnesota the last few seasons with plays like this:
Now, he will be turning those plays in for the Ravens, and he has already started to impress during practice.
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