Ranking 5 best sleeper wide receivers for Baltimore Ravens in 2023 NFL draft

The Baltimore Ravens will need to address wide receivers at some point. If they trade down, or they go another direction in round one, they will have to find some options later in the draft. Who are some sleepers, who may not even end up in the top 100 picks, but could end up displaying an impact?

5. Michael Wilson is a sleeper in the 2023 NFL draft

Michael Wilson is entering the NFL as a fifth-year senior and he is 23 years old. On top of that, his most yards in a season were 672 back in 2019. COVID impacted his 2020 and injuries had him off the radar the past two seasons. He had a bit of a rebound in 2022, at least enough to get his name on lists like this.

Beyond that, Michael Wilson was invited to the Senior Bowl and was one of the big standouts. That should be expected with how he plays. Wilson is great at winning in those one-on-one situations because he is a big-body receiver who can sink his hips and run crips-cutting routes over the middle of the field.

He can chew up any space defenders give him, but if you play up on him, he can still box you out. That is enticing, and he is currently healthy and coming off some of his best football. He checked huge boxes not only at the Senior Bowl but at the NFL Combine, under the medical lights.

You cannot just dismiss the injury and the fact that it took him a while to find his footing. However, back in 2019 when he was a sophomore, he was a notable player, and if he can play that way consistently, this is a great find.

4. Baltimore Ravens should have eyes on Grant DuBose

Grant DuBose is flying under the radar and has a fascinating story to explain it. He was under-recruited and went to Miles College. The program did not have football in 2020, and he was just another college student trying to get by before a friend who attended Charlotte told DuBose to try out.

DuBose took over and had 889 yards during his first year with the 49ers and he stacked that with 793 yards and nine touchdowns. DuBose was so unknown that he got invited to the Senior Bowl days before the event because others dropped out.

He was not an initial combine invite but used his week at the Senior Bowl to win over scouts. At the Combine, he performed well.

The speed will not have him flying up boards, but the 10-yard split and the rest of the jumps show that this is an explosive player. When you watch his tape, you see the same thing. He wins in the air and is an acrobat adjusting to the Charlotte quarterback.

The other impressive feature of his game is the ability to win the ball away from his body. He has great body control in the air and can extend his arms and make plays while leaping in the area of defenders.

DuBose has movements that can beat press coverage, but he needs to be more consistent in his releases. He never played the slot much, so should be an outside-only threat. Still, this is a day-three guy with little attention, and he could turn into an NFL starter. Do not ignore his rise.

3. Baltimore Ravens could draft Parker Washington

One word to describe Parker Washington would be tough. He is built like a running back, and when defensive backs see him with the ball in his hands, they probably view him like a running back. Washington never goes down easy, and he fights and dances and dives ahead for every last year.

Beyond that, for his size, he will lay a block into any defensive back. The best wide receiver to compare him upside-wise would be Jarvis Landy.

He can catch the ball away from his body, and for his smaller size, his catch radius is impressive. He is the guy who does all the little things that your team wants. With that being said, he looks like a limited overall athlete, and he is not burning away from guys.

In fact, Penn State used him near the line of scrimmage and almost all of his catches were within 10 yards. He is a slot, who can be relied on to move the chains and set a tone, but is not going to be a number one, or an elite guy who can win on the outside against bigger CBs.

The fact that he is a role player combined with his dealing with injuries through the pre-draft process has him as a likely day-three pick. Still, speed is not the game of Washington and we do not need testing to know that. This could just be making him a value draft pick.

2. Is Charlie Jones a sleeper wide receiver in the 2023 NFL draft?

First-round draft pick Joey Porter had a near-flawless season in 2022, aside from the time he went up against Charlie Jones. Jones is quick and shifty and the tight hips of Porter were exposed in that specific matchup. Charlie Jones was doing that to a lot of people, though, as he broke out for 1,361 yards.

The big question with Jones is his age and the fact that before he was 23 years old, he never had 400 yards in a season. Did he need to be a few years older and more mature than everyone to look that good? It may be the case, but Jones at least has some excuses.

He started his career at Buffalo and put in 395 yards as a true freshman. He transferred to Iowa and sat out 2019 due to the old rules, and missed 2020 due to COVID. So, he came back in 2021, and while the Iowa offense does not pass, he put up 323 yards and was able to transfer to Purdue.

So, technically, he was ahead of the game since he was a freshman. The two-year delay hurts him, and the Iowa offense stung as well, but he always produced relative to expectations on the field.

Charlie Jones is not the biggest or fastest guy, but he does have the quicks, and his stat and stop is great. Beyond that, he can turn around and find the ball quickly, making him a nice comeback and curl route asset. His stock is rising, but this is still a day-three guy the Baltimore Ravens must consider.

1. Dontayvion Wicks could be a day three gem for Baltimore Ravens

All of these day-three guys have at least some level of production, and then a bunch of excuses for why the production is not greater, or more consistent. The same is said for Virginia WR Dontayvion Wicks. He missed his sophomore season because of the 2020 situation.

He came back in 2021 and put up 1,201 yards. Of course, he was unknown beforehand as a breakout so he did not declare for the NFL draft. Unfortunately, his senior year was a huge flop. Coaching changes, quarterback changes, injuries, and everything added up for him to record 430 yards. The most alarming stat was nine drops, though. By the end, it looked like he checked out.

Still, he has the 2021 season to fall back on. He did fine at the Senior Bowl, and once again saw his stock go back up because of the NFL Combine. Wicks was so good in contested situations and with the ball in his hands as a junior that you hope to possibly see that in the NFL. For a day three pick, it may be worth the shot.