Marquise Brown – Baltimore Ravens
Brown enjoyed a strong rookie year despite concerns over his foot following Lisfranc surgery, his speed and route-running ability enabling him to post 584 yards and seven touchdowns in his first season.
The former Oklahoma star quickly established a rapport with MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson who, despite his spectacular 2019 campaign, still has room to grow as a passer.
That is a sentence that should strike fear into the rest of the AFC given that Jackson completed 66.1 percent of his passes last season, outperforming his expected completion percentage of 65.3, according to the NFL’s NextGen Stats.
Should Jackson take the next step then Brown is the most likely beneficiary among the receiving corps, his remarkable acceleration making him a legitimate deep threat who can also rack up significant gains through yardage after the catch.
Brown averaged 12.7 yards per reception in 2019, a relatively low figure for a player who went for 18.3 yards per reception in college, albeit against a much lower standard of defense in the Big 12.
Defenses having to account for the threat of Jackson as a runner, his potential development as a passer and the presence of other receiving weapons such as rising tight end Mark Andrews should all help Brown improve significantly on that number in 2020 and put himself in the frame for a trip to Las Vegas.