Baltimore Ravens should avoid flashy wide receivers in 2019 NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens have a need at wide receiver entering the 2019 NFL Draft, but the team should avoid the flashy prospects in favor of the “boring” guys.

D.K. Metcalf and Marquise Brown are two of the biggest names in the 2019 NFL Draft at the wide receiver position. Why? Because they’re high-ceiling players who could become perennial Pro Bowlers. Sounds exactly like what the Baltimore Ravens desperately need, right? Wrong.

The Baltimore Ravens need wide receiver help in the worst way imaginable, however the biggest mistake they could possibly make would be to go after the flashiest wide receiver. We’ve seen in the past Baltimore make mistakes like this and take guys with all sorts of amazing traits. As we’ve seen time-and-time again, however, these guys burn out fast for the team.

Travis Taylor, Mark Clayton, and Breshad Perriman were all round one selections for the Ravens who looked like superstars because of their athleticism. Unsurprisingly, they all busted and cloud the Baltimore Ravens franchise history at the position.

Now in 2019, Baltimore is once again in a desperate position to add wide receiver talent. The 2019 NFL Draft’s wide receiver pool has talent, but none of the receivers are without their warts. With that being said, the supposed top-end of the group possesses the biggest red-flags. Despite the talent that both D.K. Metcalf and Marquise Brown have, it is alarming how bad/persistent their injury history is.

Meanwhile, we have wide receivers like A.J. Brown, Metcalf’s teammate, and Kelvin Harmon who are so safe that they’re boring to talk about. Why is that such a bad thing? What happened to taking the guy who does everything well but not great? The last time I can recall a wide receiver falling in the draft because of a lack of elite traits was Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints. I’d say that turned out pretty well.

The safer the better:

Is taking the jock-among wide receivers always a bad thing? Of course not, Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss are examples of how well that can turn out. For the Ravens, however, we’ve seen they can’t hit on guys like that. So, rather than taking a chance on a high-upside talent, take the guy with the higher floor.

The point of this article isn’t to highlight D.K. Metcalf or Marquise Brown as busts, because I believe in both of them quite a bit. Rather, it’s advise to Baltimore to take a harder look at the guy who doesn’t need as much help developing and/or staying healthy. A.J. Brown’s athleticism isn’t anywhere close to Metcalf’s, but his career could be better because of consistency and proven ability.

Considering how much the Baltimore Ravens have struggled to develop receivers, it simply makes more sense to grab someone like A.J. Brown or Kelvin Harmon; both of whom are players who can come in and immediately contribute at a consistent pace. The Ravens need wide receiver talent, but there’s no rule saying they have to take a chance on a guy. Instead, take the more certain prospect and assure yourself reliability you’ve never seen before at the position.