ExtremeRavens Posted 4 hours ago Posted 4 hours ago The list of failed receivers taken by the Ravens in the first and second rounds is a long one. There was Patrick Johnson in 1998 and Travis Taylor two years later. We can’t forget about Mark Clayton in 2005 and Breshad Perriman 10 years after. And then there was Marquise Brown, nicknamed “Hollywood,” the big bust in 2019. Now, fast forward to 2025. The Ravens have their best receiving corps in their 30-year history. But it’s not only because of prominent players such as Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers, DeAndre Hopkins and tight end Mark Andrews. The Ravens have strong depth with young players like fifth-year pro Tylan Wallace and 2024 draft pick Devontez Walker. Wallace scored on a 15-yard reception in the second quarter of the Ravens’ 41-17 beatdown of Cleveland on Sunday, and Walker added a pair of touchdown catches in the third and fourth quarters. So, what has transpired from the previous failures? The college game has changed, limiting the amount of possible failures. Most of the top teams have adequate to strong passing games including Ohio State, Penn State, LSU, Miami, Georgia and Oregon. It’s all about the transition. There are a lot of current college offensive linemen who have to be retrained and even taught how to come out of a three-point stance. With receivers, they all know how to run the nine routes in the passing tree. So, it’s game on. In two games, the Ravens have used various receiver combinations. Hopkins might be the No. 4 receiver in some sets, the No. 2 in others. “You need a whole team,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday. “Everybody is on the team for a reason, because you need them. You want the guys on your team to contribute. And if you’re a guy that’s fighting for that playing time, you want to contribute and make plays. If you get out there on a punt rush, you want to go block a punt if you can. If you get your shot at wide receiver, you want to go catch a pass or a touchdown pass when you can. “Guys want to win, first and foremost, but they also want to contribute just as much, because that’s what they work hard for.” Wallace (two catches for 25 yards, one touchdown) can return punts or kickoffs and has been used as a gunner on the punt team. He isn’t exceptionally fast, but has good, strong hands. Walker (2 catches for 26 yards, 2 TDs) played well throughout the various offseason camps and has good speed. If something happened to Flowers (14 catches for 218 yards, 1 TD), he might be the perfect replacement as a slot receiver. Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers, left, talks with offensive coordinator Todd Monken during a preseason practice. Flowers has over 200 receiving yards across the Ravens' first two games of the season. (Stephanie Scarbrough/AP) Both are complements to Bateman (4 catches for 25 yards) who might be the best route runner on the team as well as Hopkins (4 catches for 99 yads, 2 TDs), who has become the home run hitter. Meanwhile, Flowers can do it all on the outside or inside or underneath or over the top. “I think in some games, it might be one way or another, but we have a lot of guys that can play and do different things,” Harbaugh said. “So, it’s not a bad thing to do it that way, but I’m sure that every player wants to be on the field as much as they can. So, the more DeAndre is on the field, I’m happy about that.” Added Harbaugh: “You can put ‘Tez’ out there, and he does some things, and he changes it up on the defense. That’s a nice thing, too. And Tylan is the same way. Of course, you’ve already got ‘Bate’ and Zay. They’re going to play a lot of snaps, and you want to get the ball to the tight ends.” Tight ends might be the forgotten position, at least for now. In two games this season, the Ravens have thrown to Andrews only twice for 7 yards. But Andrews started slowly last season before finishing with 55 receptions for 673 yards and 11 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Ravens expect to have No. 2 tight end Isaiah Likely back soon as he recovers from a foot injury. He can line up both inside or outside and has as much speed as some receivers. As the season rolls on, Harbaugh expects there to be problems with receivers not getting enough touches. But as long as the Ravens keep putting points on the board and adding victories, a potentially big problem might be a small one. “They are going to be a big part of what we’re doing,” Harbaugh said of the tight ends. “If we start going four or five weeks, and you don’t see the tight ends getting targets, I’ll probably be asking ‘Monk’ and Lamar and the guys, ‘What do you think?’ But, the ball goes where it goes based on the reads. That’s where the ball goes based on Lamar’s reads, and that’s what quarterbacks do. “So, that’s kind of a blessing, but it’s also a dilemma, and we’re working through it, but hopefully it’s a tiny dilemma that puts a lot of points on the board. That’s what we’re hoping for.” Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun. View the full article Quote
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