The Baltimore Ravens picked two receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft. Here are three goals for Devin Duvernay and James Proche:
1. Be quick studies and make an instant impact:
The Baltimore Ravens drafted two receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft but they did it in the third and sixth round respectively. The Ravens learned the hard way that players drafted in the third round or later often take some time to develop. Miles Boykin had some flashes last year as a third round pick, yet he looked like a bit of a project. Jaylon Ferguson played a good bit at the outside linebacker position, however he definitely looked like a rookie. The Ravens are needy at the wide receiver position and they need their young receivers to be able to play right away.
The biggest expectations should be put on Duvernay. Duvernay played on a big stage with the Texas Longhorns and became a play-maker in his in fourth and final season there. Make no mistake about it though, both receivers should try to be instant impact players. This is an offense that returns receivers who only contributed 93 receptions last year. The passing game has to grow and there isn’t a ton of competition at the wide receiver spot. If anything, Duvernay and Proche are competing with each other for the third or fourth spot in the receiver pecking order.
The only thing we objectively know at the wide receiver position is that Marquise Brown is the number one target and that Willie Snead is a reliable option. Everything else is literally up for grabs. If there is any offense where a sixth round pick could come in and do something it’s that of the purple and black. Proche needs to come in and catch the ball every time he gets a chance. Sixth round picks don’t usually walk into this good of an opportunity.
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.
3. To be the answers in the return game:
Special teams are always spots where rookies get a chance to shine. Both Duvernay and Proche have experience as return specialists. It’s quite possible that Proche could be the Ravens punt returner and Duvernay could be the kickoff returner. The Ravens need to find the right combination at these spots. It’s not an area the Ravens have excelled at ever since the end of the Jacoby Jones days.
Proche had 50 punt returns at SMU and averaged 7.6 yards per punt return. That’s not bad and it indicates that he gave you something positive out of his returns. What Baltimore needs is a punt returner who fields more punts and does something with them. In the past two seasons DeAnthony Thomas has 26 punt returns. Albeit at the college level, Proche had 37 returns in that time frame. Thomas is a very underwhelming punt returner. Proche could help the Ravens make the punt return a beneficial part of the field position battle.
Duvernay returned 26 kickoffs at Texas. He picked up 550 yards and averaged 21.2 yards per return. While he hasn’t shown any indication of being a young Devin Hester or a Jermaine Lewis, he’s clearly not bad at returning kicks. Secondly, he’s a play-maker when he has the ball in the open field. Duvernay has real potential as a kickoff returner.
The encouraging thing about Duvernay and Proche is that they are players you just want to get the football to. Becoming return specialists is a very feasible goal for both of them based off their experience before they got to the NFL stage. It creates another opportunity for the coaching staff to find ways to get them in the game. If Duvernay becomes the kickoff returner and Proche becomes the starting punt returner, Baltimore will get even more value out of them as rookies.