NEWSLETTER
The Baltimore Ravens have been in the headlines all offseason, thanks to a messy negotiation with quarterback Lamar Jackson. However, the drama ended with Jackson and the Ravens agreeing to a mega-extension leading up to the NFL Draft. Now we can look at how the additions of OBJ and first-round draft pick Zay Flowers will impact the Ravens’ offense.
After moving on from Greg Roman, Baltimore has a new offensive coordinator, Todd Monken. Monken last coached in the NFL as the offensive coordinator for the Browns in 2019. He was with the Buccaneers in the same role the three previous seasons.
Adding Monken and the acquisitions of Beckham and Flowers will hopefully help the Ravens find more balance in their scheme. When Lamar Jackson took over as the Ravens quarterback, former OC Greg Roman designed an offense tailored to Jackson’s skills, specifically, his ability to create home run plays on the ground. Baltimore has been one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL since.
According to 4for4’s Sam Hoppen, since 2019, Baltimore has had a 49.1 percent neutral-script pass rate, which is the sixth-lowest rate in that time.
Zay Flowers will bring the Ravens the deep threat they have been lacking in recent years. His 4.42-second 40-yard dash was the ninth fastest among wide receivers. It was also the fastest of any wide receiver taken in last week’s first round. Flowers has also added 10 pounds of muscle this offseason. Despite his smaller frame, Flowers posted an excellent contested catch rate of 58.3% in 2022.
Flowers might end up being the best wide receiver in this draft class when it’s all said and done. He’s a short and compact receiver who quickly gets in and out of route breaks. His speed and explosiveness provide plenty of quickness in his release. But what sets Flowers apart from the rest of the very good receivers in this draft is his elite ability with the ball in space. He ranked top 20 nationally in yards after the catch (503), per PFF, and has 84th percentile speed. Flowers has the vertical speed to get behind the secondary, and he has great body control and balance at the catch point.
When I mocked Flowers to the Ravens a few weeks ago, I wrote this:
“Zay Flowers might be my favorite receiver in this draft, and I swear it has nothing to do with the shared last name. He’s fast, quick, and explosive, and he can flat-out make plays. The Ravens would be lucky to see him on the board at No. 22, and if they do, they should draft him. No question.”
Hoppen wrote that “Baltimore has used 11 personnel (one RB, one TE, and three WR) at a league-low 37% rate since 2019.”
The additions of Flowers and OBJ should fix their lack of willingness to use 11 personnel sets moving forward.
As far as Flowers’ fantasy outlook is concerned, Sam Hoppen broke it down over at 4for4:
“Flowers is currently being drafted just outside the top 100 picks at 105 overall and is WR49. Both Beckham (102 overall) and Bateman (103.1 overall) are going just ahead of Flowers in drafts right now. We last saw Beckham play football in Super Bowl 55 (February 2021), and Bateman missed most of last season with a season-ending Lisfranc injury (though there are some positive reports on his health).
“Should Flowers earn the deep-threat role in Baltimore, as I suspect he will, that will make him an excellent best-ball pick in the mid-to-late rounds of drafts. Because of the uncertainty around Beckham and Bateman’s health at this point in the offseason, I would lean towards picking Flowers over both of these players and think Flowers is one of the best eighth-round picks right now.”
You can read Sam’s full breakdown at 4for4:
