The Baltimore Ravens have long had issues finding young wide receivers. Baltimore found recent success with 2023 first-round pick Zay Flowers. Flowers was selected to his first Pro Bowl, becoming the first wide receiver to be selected to a Pro Bowl as a wide receiver in the Ravens’ franchise history. Prior to Flowers’ selection, other Ravens receivers had been selected as return specialists.
The Ravens also found success to a lesser degree with 2021 first-round pick Rashod Bateman. Bateman finished the 2024 regular season with career-highs in yards and touchdowns as he recorded 45 catches for 756 yards and nine touchdowns.
“I’m very happy to see the development that our young receivers have made the last couple of years. [Wide receivers coach] Greg Lewis does a great job coaching those guys up. Our players really did a good job this year,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said last week.
Now DeCosta must turn his sights to adding another pass catcher to help All-Pro quarterback Lamar Jackson deliver a third Super Bowl trophy to Baltimore. Lewis was at the Combine in Indianapolis last week scouring the available prospects.
“I think it’s a pretty good class draft-wise,” DeCosta said. “We feel like there is a good opportunity for us to find some good talent either through free agency or the Draft, in every round and every price point.”
The first round might be a little rich for the wide receiver considering the other positions that need to be addressed. However, there are some outstanding options the Ravens may be able to snag on day 2 and day 3 of the draft that are coming off some really good performances at the Combine.
Here are three receivers that would help the Ravens:
Dont’e Thornton | Tennessee | 6-foot-5, 205 pounds
Thornton, a Baltimore native (Mount Saint Joseph High School) blazed a 4.30 second time in the 40-yard dash. That alone created a buzz. His size and speed have drawn comparisons to Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf. Not bad company.
Jayden Higgins | Iowa State | 6-foot-4, 214 pounds
Higgins’ overall performance impressed at the Combine. He ran a 4.47 second time in the 40-yard dash with a 1.53 10-yard split. Higgins showed explosiveness with a 39-inch vertical and 10-foot-8 in the broad jump.
Jaylen Noel | Iowa State | 5-foot-10, 194 pounds
Iowa State has quietly become a good source for wide receivers. Noel joins Higgins as players with tremendous potential. They follow Xavier Hutchinson who went to the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2023 draft.
Noel is the most dynamic of the three and best at getting yards after the catch. His 4.39 second time in the 40-yard dash verified the big play ability he showed on film. Add in a 1.51 10-yard split, 41.5 inch vertical and 11-foot-2-inch broad jump and you get the makings of a super explosive player.