Those who want to see the Ravens trade up for a stud wide receiver, or take one in the first round at all, might be disappointed during this year's NFL Draft.
The depth of the wide receiver class could leave the Ravens, a team looking to bolster its unit, hunting for bargains.
On Monday, General Manager Eric DeCosta said this year's wide receiver class is "prolific" with 25 draftable players at the position. Three days later, DeCosta emphasized that point further.
"I think it's just the amount of really good players in the draft at that position. In most years, you probably expect those players to fill up the first three rounds," DeCosta said. "We think this year that there's a really good chance to get a guy that can probably be a starter for you in the fifth round of the draft."
DeCosta said he expects Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to be "long gone" before the Ravens are on the clock at No. 28, and it could require too much draft capitol to even move up and get him.
The two other wide receivers at the top of the class are Alabama's Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III. They will likely also be off the board in the top 20 picks.
Other potential first-round wideouts who could be closer to where the Ravens pick include LSU's Justin Jefferson or Clemson's Tee Higgins. Baylor's Denzel Mims, Colorado's Laviska Shenault Jr., and Arizona State's Brandon Aiyuk have also been projected as potential first-round picks by some analysts.
With strong showings during this year's pre-draft process (before it was cut short by COVID-19), Mims flew up draft boards and is now being viewed as a potential first-round selection. The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec selected the big-bodied, physical wideout for Baltimore in a recent mock draft.
"We saw guys at the Senior Bowl that, heading into that week we thought would be later-round guys, and they shine at the Senior Bowl and became really good prospects," DeCosta said.
But with so much depth in this year's class, will the Ravens draft any receiver in the first round?
"This year, we have a lot of guys highly rated in the first four, five, six rounds," DeCosta said. "It's exciting for a team that needs receivers because you feel like you have an opportunity to really add an impact guy all the way through the draft."
Other Day 2 or Day 3 wide receivers include Notre Dame's Chase Claypool, TCU's Jalen Reagor, Penn State's K.J. Hamler, Kentucky's Lynn Bowden, USC's Michael Pittman Jr., South Carolina's Bryan Edwards, Florida's Van Jefferson, and Texas' Devin Duvernay – and there's a lot more.
"Sheer numbers-wise, for whatever reason, this year is kind of stacked," DeCosta said.
