Ravens Receiving Corps Just Misses Top 10 Ranking

The Baltimore Ravens' variety of downfield threats received positive marks in PFF's preseason ranking, falling short of the elite tier.

Nov 25, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) celebrates his touchdown scored against the Los Angeles Chargers with wide receiver Diontae Johnson (18) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens' receiving room has come a long way from their dark days of the early 2020s. Gone are the over-the-hill veterans asked to accept some of the biggest passes of every game, and the team has surrounded Lamar Jackson with a home-built corps of young pass-catchers to make the Ravens equally threatening from the air and on the ground.

They rattled off an exceptional season on offense last year behind their MVP-caliber quarterback, and are by all accounts expected to run their exceptional scoring style back in this upcoming season. PFF certainly seems to agree, giving Baltimore's receiver pool the 12th-highest grade in ranking each team's wideout corps.

PFF's Trevor Sikkema didn't include the Ravens in the top 10, a group headlined by the championship-winning Philadelphia Eagles and populated by similarly-star-driven rotations in the Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers. Baltimore still avoided the mediocre middle between its ascending stars and the positive influence brought on by its older wideouts.

They're more versatile than ever; "The Ravens boast two top-10 players in PFF’s tight end rankings:Mark Andrews (No. 4) and Isaiah Likely (No. 9). Zay Flowers deservedly landed in the top 25 in PFF's wide receiver rankings, and running back Justice Hill recorded the fourth-highest PFF receiving grade at the position last season (89.0)."

They not only have young studs like Flowers and Rashod Bateman, who are already producing while offering even more enticing ceilings, but their tandem of tight ends excite as Swiss army knives, and their running backs can make plays away from Jackson.

This Ravens receiving corps ranking doesn't even account for Derrick Henry. He's the team's weak link as a catcher, but arguably their greatest weapon in his refusal to get tackled and the reigning league leader in touchdowns in a season with 16. Now that they've added DeAndre Hopkins to the mix, they can make a real run at cracking the top 10 receiving rooms during the season.

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