Last season, the Baltimore Ravens put up among the highest point totals and the highest points per game in NFL history. They rode an impressive run-first offense that included MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson as an unprecedented dual threat all the way to a 14-2 record and the top seed in the AFC—though that was as far as it would take them, producing just 12 points in a 16-point loss to the Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round.
This offseason, while the Ravens have been paying heed to their defense, particularly the defensive line, they have an eye on the offense in the draft. In the words of general manager Eric DeCosta, they are looking to build an offense that is “undefendable”.
They already have a quarterback who, in the same season, broke the all-time quarterback rushing record for a single season and led the league for that particular year in touchdown passes. They had multiple 1000-yard rushers, including Jackson, and running back Mark Ingram. They have one of the top young tackle pairs, and a Pro Bowl tight end in Mark Andrews, with Nick Boyle as a solid number two.
But how about wide receiver? Even with the additions of first- and third-round picks at the position a year ago, this appears to be perhaps the top target for the Ravens this offseason. Marquise Brown is coming off a more than solid rookie season, especially in light of the fact that he missed almost all of the offseason recovering from a foot injury, but Miles Boykin has to step up.
“This happens to be a wide receiver class with a lot of really good players, and if we’re on the clock and we think that guy is the best player, we’ll probably pick him”, DeCosta said. “I know our scouts have found some guys they’re excited about at the wideout position. So, we’ll just see how it falls”.
While he made this comment, he also said that this is a draft class where you could find a wide receiver capable of starting as deep as the fifth round. And they have gone wide receiver in the first round twice recently, including just last season.
The interior offensive line would be another target for upgrade, in light of the retirement of Marshal Yanda. Doing nothing, they would have to rely on a young player like Bradley Bozeman or Ben Powers stepping up and showing he can be a full-time starter.
Historically, the team who scores the most points typically is unable to sustain that pace, with their average scoring dropping by nearly six points from one year to the next. The Ravens averaged 30.4 points last season, so they could sustain that drop-off—provided that their defense can match.
