NFL Draft: Baltimore Ravens pay close attention to Zay Flowers
One of the players who generated a lot of buzz at the East-West Shrine Bowl was wide receiver Zay Flowers. He only had to practice one day but made a good impression as he begins the process toward the 2023 NFL Draft.
One team that reportedly paid very close attention to the former Boston College wide receiver was the Baltimore Ravens. According to Tony Pauline with Pro Football Network, while he didn’t practice on Monday he did spend a lot of time with the Ravens staff.
"Take from this what you will, but all session long on Monday, the Baltimore Ravens were connected to the hip of Flowers and stayed with him as he moved around the field. At times, it seemed the Ravens had multiple scouts escorting Flowers around the field, talking receiver technique with the Boston College product."
Zay Flowers is not a big wide receiver at only 5’10” and 177 pounds but he has great speed and quickness. This past season, Flowers had 78 receptions, 1,077 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns in what would be his best season at Boston College.
Wide receiver should be a priority for the Baltimore Ravens in the 2023 NFL Draft
The biggest offseason question in the NFL is what the Baltimore Ravens do with Lamar Jackson. The former MVP is set to be a free agent this offseason and the two sides have yet to reach an agreement on a long-term deal.
The Ravens will almost certainly use the franchise tag and won’t let him just walk in free agency. However, that doesn’t guarantee that Jackson will be the starting quarterback next season.
Whether it is Lamar Jackson or someone else under center to start 2023, the wide receiver position is one that needs to be a priority.
While they do have Rashod Bateman, who was a first round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and Devin Duvernay, they could use another wide receiver. The size of Flowers may limit him to being a slot receiver but the Ravens don’t have an explosive wide receiver like him that could be a good fit in this offense.
If it is not Zay Flowers, the Baltimore Ravens should be expected to draft at least one or two wide receivers to help the depth at a position that was tested toward the end of the season due to injuries.