NFL executives compliment and critique Ravens’ selection of Zay Flowers
Media members aren’t the only ones with opinions on each NFL teams draft class, as The Athletic’s Mike Sando interviewed NFL executives and evaluators regarding all 32 teams draft hauls. Of course, this comes with the courtesy of anonymity, but a few had things to say about the Ravens’ draft class, and more specifically, first-round wide receiver Zay Flowers.
“Flowers’ upside is Stefon Diggs,” one evaluator told Sando. “He has that from a route-running capacity.”
One NFL executive believes Flowers could be a more explosive player for the Ravens’ offense than former first-round Raven Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.
“Even though Zay is a small target, from a ball-in-hand, explosive play, run-after-catch standpoint, he gives them that more than Hollywood Brown did,” an exec said to Sando. “That is where I don’t have a problem with the player. I just think you have to have a plan for him.”
Not all were complimentary toward the selection, with one concerned about Flowers’ size.
“If we learned anything at Baltimore with Lamar Jackson, it’s that small, short receivers don’t do well,” an evaluator said. “The guy he throws it to is the 6-6 tight end.”
It’s worth mentioning Brown posted a 1,000-yard season with the Ravens in 2021 and was Jackson’s second favorite target.
Flowers does join a more complete receiver corps, and that an evaluator noted how the offense run by offensive coordinator Todd Monken will be complimentary toward all in the offense, but not to disregard Andrews.
“Monken is a receiver coach by trade,” an evaluator said to Sando. “OBJ will be the big wild card. Is he going to still have big-game potential? I like their core. It has gotten better. That said, none of those guys are true No. 1s, which the Ravens can actually get away with. It is scheme, play-action, and their No. 1 guy is Mark Andrews, basically.”
Source: Baltimore Beatdown
