Wide receiver seems to be the Ravens' flavor of the day in the latest round of mock drafts.
Most draft analysts believe the Ravens will select a receiver with the No. 16 pick, and a common option is Western Michigan's Corey Davis.
If that happens, NFL Network's draft expert Daniel Jeremiah believes it would be a "home-run pick."
"[H]e can do everything," Jeremiah said Wednesday on a national conference call. "He can play inside, outside, he's got the size. Can he win on third down. He's great after the catch. He's been productive throughout his career. There's a long track record there."
Davis, 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, put up monster numbers during his college career. He is the all-time leader in major college football with 5,278 career receiving yards, and he also racked up 52 touchdown grabs.
Davis dominated the Mid-American Conference, and he's considered a certain first-round pick.
"I think Corey Davis [would fit the Ravens] because he has all the qualities to be a number one receiver," NFL Network's Bucky Brooks said.
The other candidates for the draft's top receivers are Clemson's Mike Williams and Washington's John Ross. Jeremiah believes Williams will be long gone by the time Baltimore is on the board, and Brooks thinks the Ravens would be better suited with Davis than Ross.
Ross is a speed merchant, and the Ravens already have similar vertical threats in Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman.
"They need someone who can do the dirty work, that can be a chain mover," Brooks said. "I believe Corey Davis is a guy that's better suited to play that number one role in that passing game."
Jeremiah, a former Ravens scout, knows first-hand how General Manager Ozzie Newsome has been searching for a young No. 1 receiver, and he believes Davis could be that player.
Perhaps the biggest uncertainty with Davis is his health. He suffered an ankle injury training during the pre-draft process and had to undergo surgery, which has shelved him for the last couple of months. He hasn't run the 40-yard dash in front of NFL scouts, so teams don't have a gauge of exactly how fast he is.
"Corey Davis is a little bit of a wild card because he hasn't been able to do anything with his injury," Jeremiah said.
Davis also must overcome the stigma of playing in a smaller college conference. While Williams starred for Clemson on the way to a national championship, Davis was playing significantly lesser competition.
But the Ravens are well aware that the NFL is full of players who have successfully made the jump from smaller college conferences. They are reminded of that fact twice a season when going up against Steelers star receiver Antonio Brown, a product of the MAC's Central Michigan.
Now the Ravens may have their chance to find their own star receiver from the MAC.
"I think Corey Davis, if you're looking at most likely to be there and would be a good fit, that would be my choice," Jeremiah said.
