Breshad Perriman Could Fill The Torrey Smith Void

Breshad Perriman Compares To Torrey Smith

The Baltimore Ravens could not afford to keep Torrey Smith. The 49ers gave him a five-year, $40 million deal after the 2014 season. The Ravens planned to replace him with their 2015 first round pick, Breshad Perriman. After missing all action last season, can Perriman fill Smith’s role in the offense?

Smith was a big play receiver at Maryland who many projected to be the Ravens first round selection. The Ravens took Smith in the second round, finding an important piece of their offense. He provided a deep threat and was a great way to utilize Joe Flacco’s rocket arm.

Coming into the NFL Draft, Perriman and Smith’s college stats were strikingly similar. Smith had 2,215 yards and 19 touchdowns in three seasons at College Park. Perriman had 2,243 yards and 16 touchdowns in three season with the UCF Knights.

In his freshman year, Smith had 24 receptions for 336 yards and two touchdowns. In his sophomore year, he had 61 receptions for 824 yards and five touchdowns. In his junior season, Smith had 67 receptions for 1,055 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Aug 29, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver and first round draft pick Breshad Perriman (18) prior to the game against the Washington Redskins at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports /

Breshad Perriman had 26 receptions for 388 yards and three touchdowns in his first season at UCF. In his sophomore season, Perriman had 39 receptions for 811 yards and four touchdowns. In his final year with the Knights, Perriman had 50 receptions for 1,044 yards and nine touchdowns.

Perriman and Smith were very similar players in college. Perriman has even more speed than Smith and he gained more yards on less receptions, in college. If healthy Perriman can do the same things as Torrey Smith. In time he may even do them better.

The Ravens have bad luck with wide receivers. Torrey Smith was one of their few picks at the position that actually worked out. Going forward Perriman is an important piece of Ozzie Newsome’s draft strategy. If Perriman becomes a star, the Ravens can hope to keep hitting at this position. If Perriman ends up being a failure, it shows that Newsome and company still are blind when evaluating receiver prospects.

Without Smith on the roster, the Ravens had no deep threat. Smith was never a do-it-all receiver, but he did keep defenses honest. The Ravens addition of Mike Wallace gives the Ravens a veteran deep threat. That being said, you know the Ravens are hoping that Perriman outshines him.

The key is Perriman has to get healthy and stay healthy. Maybe his problems of last season were a one time thing. On the surface, there is no reason to be optimistic in regards to Perriman. He has been with the Ravens for a year and has yet to play in a game. Nobody likes the unknown and that is exactly what Perriman is.

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What we do know is the skill set that Perriman has shown on tape. He had a very intriguing college career. We know that Perriman is a fast receiver with ideal size and tons of potential. At the NFL combine he ran a 4.24 second 40 yard dash. Since we have been comparing him to Smith, you should know he ran a 4.43 40 yard dash.

The common critique of the Perriman pick is that the Ravens didn’t do their homework. Reports of past knee problems in his family don’t help defend this criticism. The Ravens did see something worth drafting in Perriman. His talent jumps out at you. He has the size, speed and ability to be a superstar in the NFL. We may be down on the pick now, but revisionist history only gets you so far.

Ravens fans need to be patient. Thanks to the rookie wage scale, it’s not like Perriman got a massive contract. If he pans out and adds value on the offense it will be great. If he doesn’t the Ravens will be okay. By signing Wallace, the Ravens have given themselves an insurance policy on Perriman.

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Newsome knew that Smith was going to another team. He valued Smith, but his hands were tied. Now the Ravens general manager hopes that Perriman can be the long-time plug for the Torrey Smith void. Perriman has the same skill set as Smith but has even greater potential.

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