The Ravens are known for being one of the best organizations in football when it comes to drafting a developing home-grown talent. We've seen major contributors like Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, Odafe Oweh, Patrick Queen, Justin Madubuike, J.K Dobbins, Rashod Bateman, and many others drafted in just the past 3 seasons. The 2023 draft class brought 6 more new faces to the team.
Zay Flowers, Trenton Simpson, Tavius Robinson, Kyu Blu Kelly, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, and Andrew Vorhees round out what looks to be a strong rookie class. Here are bold predictions for each member of the Ravens 2023 draft class.
Zay Flowers: Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowl Appearance
After a monster senior season at Boston College where he tallied 78 catches for over 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns, the Ravens selected Flowers with the 22nd pick in the first round.
Flowers was drafted in hopes of bringing even more explosiveness to an offense that added Odell Beckham Jr. earlier this off-season, and so far he looks the part.
Flowers has generated more hype this off-season than any Ravens rookie in recent memory. He's already been given the nickname "Joystick" by Lamar Jackson thanks to his shifty route-running and elite run-after-the-catch ability. Many NFL insiders have claimed that Flowers looks like not only the best rookie receiver in training camp but one of the best rookies in the entire league.
The excitement for Flowers was elevated once more thanks to some unreal highlights in joint practices against the Commanders this week.
.@ZayFlowers shook another one 🔥@Hyundai pic.twitter.com/UFzpwdJh85
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 16, 2023
Although the Ravens have had a ton of success drafting players in past seasons, the one position where they have really struggled is the receiver. The Ravens have never drafted a pro bowl receiver since the team's creation in 1996.
I think Flowers will break this trend with a huge rookie season that subsequently lands him in the pro bowl. It'll certainly be a tough task thanks to a much-improved skill position group from years past, but I think Flowers has a chance to pop in Todd Monken's new offense.