2023 NFL Draft Grades: Rating every first-round pick by value
By Kinnu Singh
2023 NFL Draft Grades: Rating every first-round pick by value
22. With the 22nd overall pick, the Baltimore Ravens select…
B. player. 26. No. 23 in Top 50. Zay Flowers. Boston College. Positional Ranking: 2. WR
Giving the Ravens a “B” isn’t reflective of Flowers as a player: he’s the second highest-graded wideout in the Top 50. While some critiques have centered on the fact that the Ravens could have taken Jordan Addison instead, Addison is ranked No. 30 while Flowers is ranked No. 23. The real concern here is whether or not Flowers is an ideal fit for the Ravens offense.
In the past, Lamar Jackson has benefitted from tight end Mark Andrews, while wide receivers haven’t really flourished in their current offense. Marquise Brown left the team saying they “didn’t really need” him, while Rashod Bateman told Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta to “stop pointing the finger at us” when DeCosta said the team needed better receivers.
Brown and Bateman are both talented, and Brown had almost the same amount of yards in 2022 and 2020 with four less games for the Cardinals. Also, it should be noted that the Ravens drafted Brown with the No. 25 overall pick in 2019 and drafted Bateman with the No. 27 overall pick in 2021. That’s two other wide receivers drafted in the first round within five drafts — that is not a good sign for Baltimore.
All that being said, and the fact that the Ravens signed Odell Beckham Jr., means they could have drafted another valuable player instead of a wide receiver. Flowers is great, but he may not be able to fulfill his potential in Baltimore.
23. With the 23rd overall pick, the Minnesota Vikings select…
Jordan Addison. C+. Positional Ranking: 3. WR. player. 60. No. 30 in Top 50. USC
Jordan Addison is an A+ player, and the Vikings will genuinely benefit from adding him to their offense.
That being said, that’s partially the problem with the Vikings, which was dramatically exemplified last season. Kirk Cousins and Co. can manage an air raid offense that puts points on the board, but without a significant defensive investment, the Vikings fell flat against more well-rounded teams.
Adam Thielen did leave, but drafting a linebacker or cornerback here would have been more prudent. With the way their offense currently runs, a few stronger defensive players would have more of an impact than a star wide receiver.