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What Does The Greg Jennings Signing Reveal About The Ravens’ Draft Plans?

By Jackson Thompson

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Dec 14, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Greg Jennings (15) runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

What does the signing of WR Greg Jennings with the Miami Dolphins say about the Ravens’ draft plans?

If your answer was “absolutely nothing!” you’d be right!

All offseason, the Ravens have been incredibly open about their faith in the wide receivers currently on the roster and have said they see no reason to add a veteran at this point.  With Jennings off the market, the list of available veteran receivers has dwindled to Hakeem Nicks, Reggie Wayne, Mike Williams, and Lance Moore.  It’s pretty obvious that waiting to see what happens in the draft has been the Ravens’ plan all along.

Could they go for a receiver in the first round?  Possibly.  They should have options available like Jaelen Strong, Phillip Dorsett, and possibly Breshad Perriman.  But the Ravens’ draft history of wide receivers taken in the first round says otherwise.

Back in March, John Harbaugh called drafting a wide receiver in the first round “a crapshoot.”  He went on to mention that he likes the level of talent in this year’s draft, saying “the wide receiver draft class is deep. I think there are options for the Ravens rounds one through seven in the draft.”

So where does that leave them at the position?  They seem to have pretty high hopes for second year players Kamar Aiken and Michael Campanaro.  Aiken showed some flashes at the end of last year with three touchdowns in the Ravens’ final six games (including the post-season).  Campanaro caught all four of his targets in the playoff game against the Patriots.  And let’s not forget about Marlon Brown, who caught seven touchdowns in 2013 and was targeted eight times in that same Patriots game, second most on the team.

"“There have been seventh-round picks, fifth-round picks, third-round picks that have turned out to be Hall of Fame-type players. Then you have first-round picks that have never really done anything. Obviously the chances are higher the higher you pick a guy, but it’s hard to predict.” –John Harbaugh"

My opinion?  The Ravens grab a rookie receiver in round three or four and you might see one of those aforementioned veterans get signed after the draft, when the team can re-assess its needs and the price tag will drop even more (fingers crossed for Reggie Wayne!).

So what does this latest veteran wide receiver signing tell us?  That we’ll still have to wait until the draft to see what the Ravens do, just like everyone else.

Next: Marcus Peters: Ravens First Round Draft Target

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