More On Breshad Perriman And What The Ravens Might Do In The 2nd And 3rd Round Tonight
Last night I expressed plenty of excitement over the Ravens grabbing Perriman at #26, and for good reason. Joe Flacco needed a talented wide receiver in the worst way, and now he’s got one. I gotta say though, I have my concerns as to whether he was the right guy. Let’s throw a compliment sandwich on this bitch:
Compliment: Perriman fills the Torrey Smith “vertical guy who stretches the field” role that people love to talk about so much. But Perriman brings more to the table than that. Much more physical. Big 6’3 frame should be useful outside the numbers and in the red zone. He can go up and get jump balls, which is something only Marlon Brown really brings to the table on the roster right now. There’s no doubt that this guy’s ceiling is sky high.
Concern: With high reward comes high risk. If there’s one position Ozzie Newsome has struggled drafting in his career, it’s receiver. Travis Taylor and Mark Clayton immediately come to mind. Further, UCF doesn’t exactly play the toughest schedule around. He fits the mold of a prototypical first round speedster who battles drops and never pans out. See every receiver in this Onion article. Jaelen Strong was a much safer and dependable pick, and that’s what I want most out of a receiver in Baltimore. Dependability.
Compliment: It says a lot that the Ravens called Perriman and told him he was going to be a Raven while the Cardinals were still on the clock at 24. If Ozzie was comfortable taking either Strong or Perriman, he would’ve waited to hear trade offers for more picks. He loves dropping back a few spots when he knows he has options, and it’s clear that he viewed picking Perriman over Strong as the only option. So if Ozzie has that kind of confidence that this is the right guy, then I do too. Perriman is the guy.
Some more highlights:
As for tonight, the Ravens pick 58th and 90th in tonight’s 2nd and 3rd round. In a perfect world, the Ravens grab a talented tight end (maybe Maxx Williams or Clive Walford) and a CB who can step in and provide some depth in the secondary (Jalen Collins or Ronald Darby perhaps?). Pass-rushers and D-lineman always welcome as well.
They’d also find a way to grab Stefon Diggs. I don’t care if we just took a receiver. I want him. I need him. If he’s healthy, he’s going to be a superstar in this league. I’ll stake my reputation on it. Kid is tough as nails and has great work ethic on top of endless talent. I’m definitely going to regret saying all of this once the Patriots grab him at the end of the night.