Adding a wide receiver was one of the Ravens' top priorities entering the offseason, but they have addressed that area by re-signing Jacoby Jones and adding veteran Steve Smith, Sr.
Despite those moves, the Ravens could still be in the market for a pass catcher in this year's draft. This is considered a strong draft class of wide receivers, and there will likely be some good options available when the Ravens get on the board at pick No. 17.
Ravens Director of College Scouting Joe Hortiz provided a more detailed breakdown on some of the top prospects in this year's class:
Mike Evans, Texas A&M
Redshirt sophomore, 6-foot-5, 225 pounds; 69 catches, 1,394 yards, 12 touchdowns
"He's big and made a lot of good plays for Texas A&M the last two years – a lot of big plays. Huge presence on the field. Good competitor. He catches the ball really well. He made some plays where Johnny Manziel got all the ink, and Mike Evans was doing a lot of the dirty work to help Johnny Manziel succeed. He's just a really fun player to watch, in a fun offense to watch. He has a good feel to get open and make big plays to get open, finish through contact. He really only had two years of production, so he has some polishing to do in his routes, just his feel for the game. But when you watch him play, he plays it the right way."
- Great size that he uses to his advantage
- Showed good speed at the combine, helping his stock
- Former basketball player who has good ball skills in traffic
- Still somewhat raw because he is still relatively new to football
Marqise Lee, USCJunior; 6-0, 195; 57 catches, 791 yards, 4 touchdowns
"From an athletic skillset, he's an NFL receiver. He's got quickness, speed, route technique. He's able to separate out of breaks. He's really good with the ball out of his hands. He had a better year in 2012 than in 2013. He was playing with a four-year starter at quarterback [in 2012], so his production was down a little bit this year. He dealt with some injuries this year, but when you got back and look at last year's film, you see a guy with very good playmaking ability. He can beat you deep, and he can catch it underneath, make you miss and turn it into a big play."
- Polished route runner
- Known for solid speed
- Has ability to beat teams over the top or underneath
Sammy Watkins, ClemsonJunior; 6-1, 211; 82 catches, 1,219 yards, 12 touchdowns
"He's been a really good player for three years. The moment he stepped on campus, I was there during two-a-days, and the head coach was raving about him before he had ever played a game of college football. It was right after Julio Jones and A.J. Green had come out, and he said, 'This guy is going to be in their class.' And he nailed it. He's a really dynamic player. He can beat you so many different ways. He's strong and physical through the catch. He has outstanding hands, body control. He's pretty much a total package as a wideout. He's big, he's fast, he's athletic."
- Rated by many draft analysts as the top receiver in the draft
- Possesses top-flight speed
- Great hands and body control in traffic
- Total package
Kelvin Benjamin, Florida State*Junior; 6-5, 242; 54 catches, 1,011 yards, 15 touchdowns *
"He's a big guy. Based on the combine times, he's not as fast as Mike Evans. He definitely doesn't look like a speed deficient player on film. You see him get behind guys deep. And those big guys, once they get 20 yards downfield it's tough to keep up with them. They can make those jump ball catches even when the defensive back is even with him."
- Biggest receiver of all the first-round prospects
- Known for making contested catches
- Red-zone threat
Brandin Cooks, Oregon StateJunior; 5-10, 186; 128 catches, 1,730 yards, 16 touchdowns
"He's a really quick footed, explosive kid. He runs fast. You see his speed right away on film. He comes off the ball fast, he's quick out of his breaks, he's explosive, he can separate. He catches the ball well. He can run the outside route tree, and he makes plays through contact, even for a little guy. He can go up and finish vs. guys his size or bigger. He's very competitive in that regard."
- Great top-end speed
- Smaller receiver who plays big and can move the chains
- Has ability to play outside or in the slot
Allen Robinson, Penn StateJunior; 6-3, 210, 97 catches, 1,432 yards, six touchdowns
"He's a big, athletic guy. His route technique is a little bit raw and unrefined in terms of consistency. He needs to develop in that regard, but he's a junior so sometimes you see that more often with a junior. That extra 12 or 13 games does make a difference in terms of their polish and technique as a football player. Certainly he has the size and the ball skills and the route ability to develop."
- Built like an NFL receiver and has size to exploit smaller defenders
- Still raw in his route running
Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt*Senior; 6-3, 205; 112 catches, 1,477 yards, seven touchdowns *
"He has really good size. He's competitive. He's really good with the ball in his hands. In that offense, he didn't run the full route tree. They ran a lot of smoke screens, slip screens with him, and then your vertical routes. You don't see the full route tree, but what you do see is some foot speed getting in and out of his breaks."
- Has ability to make big plays with the ball in his hands after the catch
- Highly productive college career, especially catching short passes to move the chains
