2. Don’t be the victim of typecasting:
Neither Duvernay or Proche is a big bodied target and both players project mostly as slot receivers in the NFL. This is especially true of Duvernay, who did most of his damage from the slot as a member of the Longhorns. Duvernay and Proche need to prove that they are do it all players. They need to prove that like the undersized Marquise Brown, they can play all of the wide receiver roles. The key to their development is getting on the field. The key to getting on the field is to be able to do a lot of different things.
Being able to match up with a cornerback on the outside and winning on more than just in breaking routes is going to be a plus for them. Being able run the full route tree is going to be a bonus for their stock. Greg Roman is a creative offensive coordinator. He’ll get play-makers the ball in a lot of different ways but with Boykin we’ve already seen what limitations mean in this offense.
The fact of the matter is that the Ravens could ask Brown to do just about anything and he could run the route and make the defense pay. With Boykin he was either going deep or using his body frame and speed to win on a slant or a hitch.
This isn’t a knock on Boykin who can quite possibly have a big year two. It’s more just an acknowledgment that the Ravens can”t just get 13 receptions for 198 yards and three touchdowns worth of production out of Duvernay and Proche. At this point in the offseason the Ravens are probably rolling with what they have (Sorry Antonio Brown fans). The goal for Duvernay and Proche is to be as ready and versatile as they possibly can be.