On the same day they signed quarterback Lamar Jackson to a record-setting extension, the Ravens also made a draft pick: wide receiver Zay Flowers. Never have we seen the team’s first-round pick so completely overshadowed, but here are three takeaways from the team’s big day.
The Ravens continued their recent theme, adding another exciting player for their franchise quarterback.
First, Odell Beckham Jr., now Flowers, one of the most gushed-over playmakers in this draft class.
Jackson did not wait long to celebrate. “I’m smelling more good news dropping soon,” he tweeted just before the Ravens picked at No. 22 overall. “Well it happened,” he added when their pick was announced.
The Ravens had their choice of two very good cornerbacks, long-armed Joey Porter Jr. of Penn State and ultra-athletic Baltimore native Deonte Banks. General manager Eric DeCosta said they also had opportunities to move down and add more picks. Instead, they added to a position group they said would be their No. 1 offseason project, picking a wide receiver in the first round for the third time in five years. Was this part of their sales pitch to Jackson as they zeroed in on an extension agreement? It could not have hurt.
The pick also amounted to a vote of confidence in new offensive coordinator Todd Monken’s ability to design a fast-paced passing attack that will keep defenses off balance at all levels of the field. Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews will no longer be a lonely warrior on third down with Beckham running pristine routes, a healthy Rashod Bateman beating defensive backs off the line of scrimmage and Flowers bursting forth from the slot. No Ravens wide receiver reached even 500 yards last season; it’s hard to fathom we’ll see a repeat with all this new talent on hand.
“Todd Monken had a good day today,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, laughing. “He better be happy.”
Flowers had a feeling that if he made it to No. 22, he would be headed to Baltimore. “That was my best visit,” he said, echoing DeCosta’s thoughts about their face-to-face interview.
His enthusiasm will be matched by that of a fan base tired of lamenting the Ravens’ lack of investment in weapons for Jackson. Remember the gloom that hung over this town a month ago? It’s burning away in a hurry.
“Somebody gives us a challenge? We will attack it,” DeCosta said.
The Ravens picked a player who generated tremendous enthusiasm among draft analysts.
It’s not hard to tell when the pundits genuinely like a prospect. The 5-foot-9, 182-pound Flowers doesn’t fit the classic image of a superstar wide receiver. Though plenty fast, he’s not a sprinter on par with the first wide receiver the Ravens drafted in the Jackson era, Marquise Brown. But he earned many fans by sticking with Boston College and producing in the middle of an undermanned offense when he easily could have transferred to a glitzier program. His effort never waned, even as the Eagles’ offense floundered around him.
He radiates confidence. No wonder former Ravens start Steve Smith Sr. said Flowers reminds him of himself.
“It’s about what’s in your chest,” Flowers told Baltimore reporters, explaining what he learned from watching tape of Smith since he was in elementary school.
DeCosta actually talked with Smith about Flowers at the NFL scouting combine. “If Steve Smith has that much respect for a receiver,” he said, “you better pay attention. It’s like when Ozzie [Newsome] likes a tight end.”
On the field, Flowers can play inside or outside, though he’s perhaps best suited as a yards-after-catch threat from the slot, a quality that also reminded Harbaugh of Smith.
“I can do whatever you need me to do,” Flowers said, flashing that confidence again.
Flowers seemed thrilled to be part of Jackson’s big day, even if that meant he wasn’t the lead character.
In a typical year, the Ravens’ first-round pick is the culmination of three months of speculation, an occasion to celebrate a new prince of the ball. Not in 2023. Not on the same day the most important person in the franchise finally agreed to a contract extension, ending more than a year of anxious speculation over his future.
Thursday will go down as one for the annals of Ravens history, no matter what Flowers does with his career.
Perhaps we will never know exactly what turned the tide in negotiations between the Ravens and Jackson, who took to social media to say he had asked for a trade a month before he signed his new deal. Did the signing of wide receiver Odell Beckham thaw the ice? Did Jalen Hurts’ $255 million extension (with 70% of it guaranteed) with the Philadelphia Eagles finally give Jackson and DeCosta the tangible mark they needed to shoot for? It’s hard to think that deal, consummated 10 days before Jackson’s, did not play some part, given that the Ravens reportedly beat it by exactly $5 million (and guaranteed 71% of it).
Regardless, the Ravens and Jackson came to the conclusion that made the most sense for both sides. They can now proceed with their quest to win a Super Bowl, devoid of the tension that would have lingered if the quarterback had played the 2023 season under the $32.4 million franchise tag. No one will have to guess at contingency plans or wonder who will be at the center of the team’s plans for 2024 and beyond.
Jackson will have to do his part to put the memories of two straight season-ending injuries and past playoff disappointments behind him. If anything, he will be judged by even more unforgiving standards going forward. But those are concerns for future days.
How will Flowers fit into the narrative? He was fired up when he saw news of Jackson’s extension, though he was not yet a Raven at the time.
“Oh, if I go there, it’s going to be a lot of trouble on the field,” he recalled thinking. “We double juiced up.”
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