Ravens NFL Draft Goal: Add More Weapons For Lamar Jackson?
The Baltimore Ravens offense under Todd Monken was one of the most explosive in the NFL as Lamar Jackson had one of his better seasons en route to winning his second MVP award.
The Ravens finished with a 13-4 regular season record and won a playoff game before being dumped out in the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Now, with over 20 free agents, some of whom are receivers, the Ravens hierarchy has some decisions to make. With the NFL Draft still over four weeks away, just what Baltimore's strategy will be is unknown, but PFF has an idea of what the franchise should do - give Jackson more weapons.
"The Ravens are still incredibly loaded despite their disappointing playoff loss to the Chiefs," PFF writes. "They have the NFL MVP at quarterback, field arguably the best defense in football and are stacked at tight end with Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. Their wide receiver room still needs work, though. Zay Flowers had an excellent rookie season, but Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman didn’t give them consistent enough production.
"A second consecutive first-round selection at wide receiver would be a wise move. Florida State’s Keon Coleman could give Baltimore a contested-catch option that they don’t currently possess. Georgia’s Ladd McConkey also makes sense as a smooth route runner who has familiarity with offensive coordinator Todd Monken."
Oct 14, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman (4) catches a pass over Syracuse Orange defensive back Jason Simmons Jr. (6) during the first quarter at Doak S. Campbell Stadium.
Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports
Coleman would give Lamar a physical beast who can take the top off a defense. While the Ravens have speed burners at the receiver position, they don't have a physical receiver like Coleman.
The hulky receiver grabbed 11 red zone touchdowns for Florida State last season as his size, coupled with his speed in open space make him a difficult matchup for a defense.
With several weapons like Zay Flowers, the re-signed Nelson Agholor, and tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, adding Coleman could bring a whole new dynamic to Monken's offense.
The Ravens do have some other needs along the offensive line and potentially on the defensive side as well if Patrick Queen and Justin Madubuike's futures can't be sorted (although the franchise tag looms as a possibility for Madubuike), but receiver seems to be the choice.
Baltimore had the fourth-ranked offense last season (28.4p/g) and by adding Coleman, Jackson gets a hulking receiver who can do it all.
