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It’s no secret that the Baltimore Ravens have struggled to draft and develop upper-echelon players at wide receiver during the illustrious history of the franchise.
Many of their most impactful players at the position have been seasoned third or fourth-contract veterans that were either traded for or signed away from another team. The most notable of the bunch have included the likes of Derrick Mason, Anquon Boldin, and Steve Smith Sr.
General manager Eric DeCosta acknowledged the front office and coaching staff’s shortcomings in being unable to “hit on that All-Pro type of guy” but said that they intend to “keep swinging” until they do when he addressed the media at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
“I would say a lot of people would say the same thing; it’s a challenging position to evaluate in different ways. If I had an answer, that means I would probably have some better receivers, I guess,” DeCosta said. ” I think there are a lot of things that go along with that position. Sometimes it is tied to the quarterback, and I think it’s tied to things like durability; it’s tied to a lot of things.”
One of his current players took exception to his comments and publically called out the team’s head executive. DeCosta drafted wide receiver Rashod Bateman in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft and the 23-year-old took to Twitter on Thursday, March 2, 2023, to voice his displeasure with what he felt was blaming of his fellow receivers and franchise quarterback, Lamar Jackson.
In the tweet that has since been deleted, Bateman said “How bout you play to your player’s strength and stop pointing the finger at us and (Jackson)…Blame the one you let do this… We take heat 24/7. (And) keep us healthy… Care about US and see what happen.. ain’t no promises tho… Tired of y’all lyin and capn on players for no reason.”
He took down the tweet and issued an apology for airing his grievances in such a public manner less than an hour after the original post went viral.
DeCosta didn’t completely dismiss the success of some of the players at the position that they have drafted at the position over the years but did admit that it is “disappointing” that they have yet to be able to “hit the ball out of the park” at that spot.
He also made it clear that the team’s lack of success in unearthing star wideouts during his tenure as general manager, in particular, has not been “for lack of effort”.
Since he took over for his longtime friend and mentor, Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens have selected six wide receivers including four in the top three rounds and two in the first round with Bateman and his first-ever selection, Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown.
“We believe in what we do; we believe in our scouting; we believe in the system that we have – the scouting system that we have,” DeCosta said. “It’s one of those anomalies that I really can’t explain, other than to say we’re not going to stop trying.”
Who is to Blame for the Recent Lack of WR Success?
While Bateman’s original post refers to DeCosta as one of the people “pointing the finger” at the receivers on the current roster and of years past, what wasn’t clear was who he was referencing when he said, “Blame the one you let do this”.
That more than likely is suggesting a shift of blame to the offensive coordinator position which is directly responsible for putting every player on that side of the ball in a position to either succeed or fail.
During Bateman’s first two years in the league and the two seasons prior, Greg Roman was the Ravens play caller and designer on offense. Even though Brown became the first receiver since 2016 to reach the 1,000 receiving yard threshold in 2021, the position group was among if not the league’s least productive units as a whole over that span.
Roman ‘stepped down’ from his post on January 19, 2023, after the 2022 season concluded and the team has since hired two-time national championship-winning offensive play-caller, Todd Monken, on February 14, 2023, to replace him and evolve their scheme.
The expected shift towards a more balanced attack that will utilize skill players more in space rather than attached or detached from heavily condensed formations most of the time will bode well in setting Bateman and whoever the Ravens have at receiver up for future success.
Ravens are High on Bateman and Incoming WR Class
Even though he played in just six games before his season was cut short by a Lisfranc foot injury, Bateman flashed the dynamic playmaking potential that enticed the team to take him in the first round three years ago.
He finished with 15 receptions on 28 targets for 285 receiving yards and a pair of 50-plus-yard receiving touchdowns and averaged an impressive 19 yards per catch per Pro Football Reference.
DeCosta talked at length about the outlook for Bateman in 2023 and said that he “is doing really well” in his recovery from what he described as a “pretty serious injury”.
“I think we got out ahead of it to a degree,” he said. “Rashod and the Club, we decided to do the surgery, and I think it was probably good that we did it at that point because the injury could have gotten worse.
“We’re very excited about him as a player; I can’t wait to see what he can do this year.”
Head coach John Harbaugh shared similar sentiments and excitement at his Combine press conference about Bateman.
“Let’s not forget; we drafted Rashod three years ago and Rashod’s had a couple nicks the last couple years, but I’m telling you he’s a supremely talented, supremely determined football player,” he said. He’s champing at the bit to get back here and go.”
DeCosta also shared his excitement about and belief that there is a lot of quality talent at the wide receiver position in the 2023 draft class.
“I think it’s a good class,” DeCosta said. “I think there are probably five or six guys that you look at as potential first-round-type guys, and then [it’s] pretty strong through the second, third, and fourth round, as well.”
He acknowledged that the increased value of wide receivers in recent years is reflected in the increased “pay scale” of the established players often leads to prospects at the position getting drafted higher than they have them rated.
“I think the league recognizes the importance of that position,” DeCosta said. “That being the case, I think it’s a strong, good class.”
The Ravens currently don’t hold a pick in the second round due to their midseason trade to acquire First-Team All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith, a move that DeCosta said he “can live with” given the elite difference maker they injected into their defense.
However, this might put more of an onus on them to take a wide receiver in the first round if they fear a run on the position earlier on day 2 since they aren’t slated to be on the clock until the 86th overall pick in the third round.
“Hopefully, we’re in position to get a guy that we like at some point,” DeCosta said. “Whether that’s [in the] first round or the third round, if we trade [for] or get a second-round pick – whatever it might be – we’re in position to get a guy that can come in and help us win football games.”
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