There is a lot of buzz around James Proche, the Ravens sixth round pick. Here are three reasons why:
1. He could be the diamond in the rough:
The Baltimore Ravens may have found a diamond in the rough with James Proche. He’s a sixth round pick who is getting much more buzz than any Ravens sixth round pick in recent memory. There is a reason for the buzz, it didn’t just come from nowhere. There were 35 wide receivers drafted this year. It’s not a huge outlier, but that was the most receivers drafted in the past decade.
It was considered the most exciting wide receiver draft class in recent memory, one that could prove to be one of the most prolific groups ever. Seven receivers were taken in the first round and the first pick of the second round was Tee Higgins, a wide receiver from Clemson. The second round had seven receivers selected. Another 15 receivers were drafted in front of Proche.
It was a wide receiver crazy draft. With so many teams addressing the wide receiver position early, there were a lot of good receivers who got drafted later than they should have. That’s where the excitement for Proche comes in. It’s quite possible that Proche would have been drafted before the sixth round in a different year. When you watch the tape, he doesn’t look like a sixth round pick. You almost have to wonder what got him passed up by so many teams, right? Was it his lack of height or the fact that SMU isn’t exactly a College Football powerhouse?
There have been underdog stories in the sixth round. New England Patriots fans will never let you forget that Tom Brady was a sixth round pick (yet they fail to realize that means their team passed on him five times). A more applicable example is Antonio Brown. Like Proche, Brown was an undersized receiver with great production, out of a small school. Could Proche be the next sixth round standout? It’s a question worth asking.
2. He was extremely productive at SMU
There is productive and then there is James Proche at SMU productive. In 2019, Proche had 111 receptions for 1,225 yards and 15 touchdowns. The year before that Proche had 93 grabs for 1,199 yards and 12 touchdowns. While it took him a couple years to get to the elite threshold of production he had four straight seasons with at least six touchdowns. At the collegiate level, Proche was an unquestioned play-maker.
We’re not talking about a player who had one good year and then went off to the NFL. We’re talking about a player whose impact on his team increased every single year, right along with his production. SMU has actually churned out enough good receivers that you kind of have to take notice. Courtland Sutton is a star receiver for the Denver Broncos (coincidentally he was my draft crush in 2018).
SMU is also the college of Cole Beasley, Emmanuel Sanders and on a smaller note Trey Quinn. It’s not the SEC or the Big 10 however, production at SMU cannot be ignored at the wide receiver position. When you consider that Proche had more touchdowns and yards than even Sutton, this production should hold some currency.
The production doesn’t necessarily translate right away. The exciting thing here is that Proche doesn’t need to shine right away. He was a sixth round pick. Making the team and giving Baltimore any value at all is a win in his rookie season. While the Ravens will want more immediate results from Devin Duvernay, seeing as he is a third round pick, Proche just has to not screw up. He has to catch the ball when it’s thrown to him and compete for a job or two on special teams. The play-making trait is surely something Proche has though, and it won’t just go away because he’s playing at a higher level of competition.
3. His strength is reliability:
Proche isn’t super fast and he doesn’t have a huge frame. He’s a quick route runner with great hands. That’s his thing. Proche has a very low drop rate and he averaged just over 13 yards per reception at SMU. When you throw him the ball he catches it and he does something with it. This sounds simplistic, however this is exactly what gets the Baltimore fan base going.
This is the team that would have gone to the Super Bowl in 2011 if it weren’t for a dropped pass by Lee Evans. This is the franchise that drafted Breshad Perriman and the fanbase that lost patience with him in a heartbeat. If the Ravens get a receiver who they just know will bring in the ball just about every time, the fans will absolutely adore him. Every fanbase wants good hands but with Baltimore it’s a huge thing. That’s why Anquan Boldin is such a fan favorite. Joe Flacco knew trusted Boldin more than anyone and the fans had that same level of belief in Boldin. Proche is a much different type of player, but he has the reliability characteristic and that will make him popular in Baltimore.
There seems to be a sense that one way or another, the Ravens are getting something out of this draft pick. Proche could very easily be a special teams star, just like Chris Moore. Proche’s experience as a punt returner increases the chance of this.
This didn’t feel like a throw away pick. The signs are there of him being a diamond in the rough. The Ravens got a receiver prospect with an elite level of production in a great receiver draft class. It’s hard to predict that any sixth round pick will be a star. It’s also very hard to see Proche being a disappointment for the Ravens. He has a lot going for him and he doesn’t have to be a star for the Ravens to get gains from their sixth round investment.