Rashod Bateman Is Officially on Notice After the Draft, Even if No One Is Saying It

The Ravens' former first-rounder will need to stave off competition from two incoming rookies in Baltimore.

Nov 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman (7) before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images | Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens’ lack of success picking wide receivers in the NFL Draft over the years has been extremely well documented. Including the recent 2026 haul, wide receiver has been the most drafted position in the history of the Ravens with 37. In return, Baltimore has obtained exactly four 1,000-yard receiving seasons, zero 100-catch seasons, and one 10+ receiving touchdown seasons out of all those players.

During the 2026 NFL Draft, the Ravens made a point at the position, by picking two wideouts among their 11 total picks. Ja’Kobi Lane was selected out of USC in the third round, and Indiana’s Elijah Sarratt was added later in the fourth. 

The message is loud and clear here for one of the team’s six former first-rounders at the position: Rashod Bateman must produce, or else... 

What the 2026 NFL Draft haul means for Rashod Bateman

The former Golden Gopher might already be on borrowed time in Baltimore, despite signing a three-year $36.75 million extension in April of 2024. Over the course of his five years with the Ravens, 27th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has recorded 157 catches for 2,147 yards and 15 touchdowns. 

To date, Bateman has never caught 50 passes nor reached 800 receiving yards in a season. His best year was the 2024 campaign, when it looked like he had turned the corner with a 45-catch, 756-yard, nine-touchdown campaign. 

However, his numbers fell dramatically last year to just 19 grabs for 224 yards and two scores despite starting 12 contests. Unreliability has been his calling card so far.

Perhaps, the only reason Bateman is still on the Ravens roster is that no one else has stepped up. Devontez Walker, a 2024 fourth-rounder out of North Carolina has just seven receptions -- four of them touchdowns, notably -- over 21 games played in two years with the team. Tylan Wallace, a fourth rounder from 2021, managed just 22 catches for 305 yards and two scores over five years with the team, before moving on to Cleveland this offseason. 

Things are about to change for the Ravens with the arrival of Lane and Sarratt. 

Lane should get a genuine shot at the starting X position on the outside, while Sarratt looks like an alternative for the flanker spot, where he could take some valuable minutes away from Bateman. That would leave Zay Flowers -- the team’s only wideout ever drafted to earn a Pro Bowl (2x) nod on offense for the team -- to operate from the slot, where he’s more effective. 

Is Elijah Sarratt the real deal? 👀 @JasonLaCanfora thinks he brings a level of certainty that people are still questioning with 3rd-round pick Ja'Kobi Lane. #RavensFlock

What’s your take: who has the higher ceiling? 👇 pic.twitter.com/buGUjIshj3

— The Daily Flock Show (@DailyFlockShow) April 28, 2026

Walker would then be left to compete for some of the leftover reps after those four, along with 2025 sixth-rounder LaJohntay Wester, who played mostly special teams as a rookie.

And even though he’s stated publicly he’s open to return to Baltimore, we shouldn’t bet on five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins coming back, either, especially after spending third- and fourth-rounders on wideouts last weekend. 

New offensive coordinator Declan Doyle is expected to use fewer multiple tight end sets than the Ravens used last year, and shift towards more three- and four-wideout sets. This means Lane and Sarratt should get a decent dose of looks from the get-go. 

Bateman isn’t just obligated to keep up, but also stay ahead of the rookies, relying on experience. But the leash should be short. 

Cutting Bateman before the season would translate into cap hits of $6.3 million this year and $7.5 next year, assuming it’s done after June 1st. But cutting him after next season would result in just the $7.5 million hit for next year, if it’s done before June 1st, 2027. That’s starting to look pretty much like a deadline for Bateman to get going, as imagining him playing out his contract all the way up to the 2029 season doesn’t seem realistic at this point.

Baltimore’s futility when drafting wideouts means the team is thirsty for immediate results from its rookies. If Lane and/or Sarratt are able to provide early returns on investment, Bateman will become redundant.

Adding offensive weapons in the passing game for Lamar Jackson was a must, and the Ravens addressed that on draft weekend. Now, one of their most recent misfires at the wideout position has been put on notice.