He’s tallied back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, but Zay Flowers isn’t often mentioned among the best wide receivers in the NFL. That should change, according to a “high-ranking” rival who offered a surprising take about the Baltimore Ravens’ pass-catcher.
Flowers actually belongs in the ranks of the game’s “elite” at his position. At least in terms of how his “Catch-and-run, start-and-stop is elite. Awareness of where people are when he catches the ball.”
It’s lofty praise from an unnamed “high-ranking AFC personnel evaluator” who shares a conference with the Ravens. The evaluator spoke to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who was seeking input to compile a list of the “top NFL wide receivers for 2026.”
Flowers didn’t quite make the grade, but he did rate among the honorable mentions. He won’t stay in that bracket for long if Flowers can build on the “elite traits” one AFC rival sees.
Fortunately, the Ravens have already been told exactly how to help Flowers be even more effective. Even if it means eventually having to meet his hefty contract demands.
Zay Flowers Needs 1 Thing to Confirm “Elite” Status
Flowers can justify the “elite” tag if new Ravens’ offensive coordinator Declan Doyle makes one key change to how he’s used. It’s a change urged by NFL Plus, after Flowers landed 71st in the league’s annual top 100 players list.
The Ravens simply need to “Get Zay Flowers in motion.” It’s a basic plan, but one that perfectly fits a receiver who, “when in motion,” has tallied “26 receptions for 299-yards, the 3rd-most among WRs.”
Flowers has “also has averaged 3.7 yards of separation (3rd-most among WR, min. 20 targets) when in motion and has 161 yards after the catch (6th-most).”
Those numbers explains why Flowers was included in the top 100 for the only time since entering the pros as a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft. If he’s going to stay in this select company, Flowers needs to be on the move more often than the 11.3 percent motion rate the wideout tallied under Doyle’s predecessor Todd Monken last season, per Player Profiler.
Fortunately, Doyle has the right schemes to get Flowers more involved in ways that work for his skill-set. Then the question will become can Flowers prove his critics wrong by showing he deserves to be called “elite” and solving an underlying problem for the Ravens?
Ravens Still Hoping for Star Wide Receiver to Emerge
Flowers will enter this season as the undisputed top target among strangely still unappreciated star quarterback Lamar Jackson’s targets. Yet, that status only underlines the lack of other credible names on the depth chart.
This deficiency wasn’t solved by general manager Eric DeCosta using consecutive picks in this year’s draft to add to the position. The Ravens have high hopes for what third-rounder Ja’Kobi Lane can do at the business end of the field, while fourth-round selection Elijah Sarratt is a catch machine already touted for big things.
DeCosta’s strategy will look inspired if the rookies deliver, but trusting this much inexperience at such a key spot is an obvious risk. Particularly when a six-time Pro Bowler who’s an ideal complement for Flowers is still on the market.
The Ravens are taking the risk because 2024 third-round pick Devontez Walker is yet to earn a breakout, while Flowers’ fellow first-rounder Rashod Bateman remains frustratingly brittle and inconsistent.
This many doubts about their other receivers leaves the Ravens reliant on Flowers playing like an “elite” wideout in 2026. It will only happen if Doyle uses more motion and creates extra YAC opportunities.
Ravens’ Zay Flowers Gets Surprise Take from ‘High-Ranking’ Rival