Marquise Brown is the main attraction for the Baltimore Ravens 2019 NFL Draft class, but his running mate, Miles Boykin, could establish himself in 2020.
The Baltimore Ravens wide receiving core has never looked better than it does right now. Marquise Brown looks primed to become a star in 2020, while rookies Devin Duvernay and James Proche could carve out significant roles as well. You can’t discount Willie Snead, either, who’s savvy, veteran play will be crucial for the offense’s stability. Lost in this shuffle is Miles Boykin, who had a solid rookie season considering he wasn’t heavily featured.
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That could very well change in 2020. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Boykin come out and become a focal point of the offense.
Expectations should be low for the former Notre Dame receiver, but Boykin could easily surpass them. For starters, Boykin has one thing that the other Ravens wide receivers don’t have: size. Boykin is a massive 6’4″ 220-lbs. body with good hands and box-out potential. He’s immediately the best red-zone body at the position because of that.
Being able to establish this role on the offense will help Boykin to see the field more consistently. That will be his biggest focal point of the offseason.
After gaining this role the next step will be to shore up his hands and become a reliable pass catcher. Miles Boykin prided himself on his solid hands back at Notre Dame, but he had some concentration drops as a rookie. If he can clean up those lapses, Boykin could become a major threat for this offense.
We all know that Baltimore will once again be run-heavy in 2020, so showing the willingness to be a blocker will go a long way for Boykin. It’s the little things like this that will help Boykin to truly establish a consistent role for the offense.
If all this pans out, there is a nice ceiling here for Miles Boykin’s potential. Boykin caught three touchdown passes on 13 receptions as a rookie and it seems plausible that he can continue to be an efficient scorer in year-two. Boykin also averaged 15.2 YPR, a number that is likely to go down but there were so plays last year where Boykin showed off solid speed and the ability to stretch out a defense. Anywhere in the 13.0 YPR mark seems realistic.
A good stat line, if he fulfills all of our above criteria, would be somewhere in the 40 catch range, 500+ yards, and six-or-more touchdowns. Boykin could even flirt with double-digit touchdowns in that red-zone target role.
Miles Boykin is far from a household name entering 2020, but he could become a beloved player if he continues to progress from his rookie season. Should he hit and breakout as a sophomore, the Baltimore Ravens may have themselves a heckuva player.