Rashod Bateman

Bateman has shown flashes since going 27th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he missed the first five games of his rookie year on the heels of summer abdominal surgery and then missed the final 11 weeks of 2022 with a Lisfranc injury. He started well last year before the foot became a factor, catching eight of 16 targets for 226 yards and two TDs the first three weeks, buoyed by a pair of distance scores. He's only 23, but there's suddenly a lot more target competition after the Ravens signed Odell Beckham and drafted Zay Flowers in the first round. The switch from Greg Roman to Todd Monken at offensive coordinator promises a more pass-oriented offense, at least, giving Bateman some potential for a third-year breakout if he finally stays healthy. He averaged nearly 100 yards per game his final two seasons at Minnesota and ran a 4.39 40 at the 2021 combine, so the Ravens still seem to believe in his potential -- at least to a degree -- even after a pair of disappointing seasons.

Bateman's chances for rookie-year stardom took a hit last April when he landed in Baltimore, home of Mark Andrews, Marquise Brown and the NFL's top rushing attack. The 27th overall pick projected as Option C in the passing game, which he eventually became, but only after missing the first five weeks of the season to rehab from core muscle surgery. Bateman played every game after that, and ultimately had respectable averages (3.8 catches for 42.9 yards on 5.7 targets) despite seeing less than half his passes from Lamar Jackson. The outlook for Year 2 is much better, with Brown shipped to Arizona and both Bateman and Jackson healthy for summer practices. Andrews and Bateman now stand as the top pass catchers, with Baltimore presumably hoping the latter can become more of a downfield threat after seeing two-thirds of his targets within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage last year. The 22-year-old ran a 4.39 40 last spring, and he averaged 20.3 yards per catch during his huge sophomore year at Minnesota (career 16.3 YPC). Now the presumed leader of one of the NFL's youngest WR groups, Bateman doesn't lack for opportunity.

Drafted 27th overall out of Minnesota, Bateman should provide a boost for the Ravens' below-average receiving corps. Marquise Brown is as fast as advertised, but too slight for a big workload, and newly signed Sammy Watkins has had trouble staying healthy most of his career. Of course, tight end Mark Andrews is still Lamar Jackson's favorite target, and the Ravens' passing attack is likely to be among the lower-volume ones in the league as the run-first offense has a three-headed attack in Jackson, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. At 6-0, 190, Bateman has only average size - and in fact is on the slight side - but good speed (4.43 40), above-average athleticism (36-inch vertical, 123-inch broad jump) and excellent route-running and footwork. Unfortunately, he may be unavailable for the early part of the season, recovering from core muscle surgery in mid-August with an estimated recovery timeline of 6-8 weeks. It's a setback, to be sure, but Bateman should still be available for more than half of his rookie campaign.