The Baltimore Ravens had one of the best drafts of any team in the NFL, finding value in virtually every round. However, they did not fill a positional need at wide receiver. In fact, they actually lost their top wideout, sending Marquise Brown to the Arizona Cardinals on opening night.
The Ravens still have young talent at receiver in players like Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay, but no one on roster has shown they can be a legitimate No. 1 target just yet. While some may feel like star quarterback Lamar Jackson was wronged in some ways by Baltimore's front office in the draft, he actually values adding offensive linemen to protect him as opposed to more pass-catchers.
"I've had conversations with Lamar many times and I've said, 'Lamar, what can we do to help you? What is most important to you?'" Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said, via Baltimore's official website. "Honestly, the thing that he always comes back to is the offensive line."
The Ravens used their second first-round pick on center Tyler Linderbaum from Iowa, then drafted a monstrous, 6-foot-9 offensive tackle in Daniel Faalele out of Minnesota in the fourth round.
The Ravens' first pick came at No. 14 overall, and they always expected to trade back. DeCosta anticipated a wide receiver or two falling to them, and that another team would trade up to select them. However, DeCosta did not expect Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton to still be available, and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to select one of the top prospects in the class. He also admitted that it was possible the Ravens could have drafted a receiver at No. 14, if the one they liked fell to them.
"It wasn't just any wideout; it was a specific wideout that we might have taken at 14," DeCosta said.
USC's Drake London went to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8, Ohio State's Garrett Wilson went No. 10 to the New York Jets, Chris Olave, also from Ohio State, went No. 11 to the New Orleans Saints, and Alabama's Jameson Williams went No. 12 overall to the Detroit Lions.
While the Ravens' depth chart at receiver is lacking in experience, it's very possible Baltimore signs a veteran free agent. Several intriguing options are still available, including Jarvis Landry, T.Y. Hilton, Odell Beckham Jr., Julio Jones and Will Fuller.
