Ravens knew they had to add speed around Lamar Jackson

Poe the Raven

Well-known member
Mar 16, 2019
2,040
0
GettyImages-1088483252-e1546342177761.jpg

Getty Images

The Ravens have a unique talent in quarterback Lamar Jackson, so they knew they needed to put playmakers around him in a hurry.

So adding speed to an offense that can be charitably described as plodding was a priority.

By using first- and third-rounders on wideouts Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin, and a fourth on running back Justice Hill, the Ravens put a stamp on this draft and what they were looking for.

“We played a lot of teams, really good offenses this year [and] I had a chance to sit up in the press box and watch some of these offenses. One of the main common denominators is speed,” Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. “We got a chance to see what Lamar can do this past year, and I think our vision, collective vision, for the offense is to add more guys like that to make it really challenging on the defense.”

Brown confidently predicted he could have broken the Scouting Combine’s speed record (John Ross‘ 4.22-second 40 in 2017), if he wasn’t recovering from a broken foot. Hill was the fastest running back at this year’s Combine, while Boykin was among the 20 fastest players in Indianapolis.

That can only help fix an offense that has lacked big-play ability. Over the last five seasons, their 152 plays of 25 yards or longer are the fewest in the league.
 
Top