lamar jackson they paid me on thursday like no one else in NFL history, ending a months-long stalemate between the star quarterback and the Ravens. And if that wasn’t enough, Baltimore also gave her flowers from him. Isn’t $185 million in guaranteed money enough recognition? Not exactly, since the Ravens used the No. 22 pick in This year’s NFL Draft to select former Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers. Talk doghouse to penthouse for Baltimore’s 2023 season prospect in a matter of six hours.
Flowers was in the top bracket of wide receivers in the draft and was a two-time All-American for the Eagles in 2020 and 2022. Interestingly, the year in between was when I got to watch Flowers play live when Missouri traveled to Chestnut. Hill to face BC. The guy can at full speed play. He wasn’t the best wide receiver in the draft, but he’s no slouch. Playing alongside Odell Beckham Jr. will only make them both better. and with him NFL franchise trend By prioritizing wide receivers as the second most important position on the field, Flowers’ move to Baltimore vastly improves the Ravens’ outside weapons. More importantly, it gives Jackson a tremendous blanket of safety when he can’t win a game with his legs alone.
A WR streak in the latter part of Round 1
No wide receiver was selected until No. 20, but then four in a row were taken with all three receivers selected around Flowers all going into the NFL Draft having more notoriety, mainly because the other trio plays for better teams. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Quentin Johnston, and Jordan Addison played for teams seeking a college football playoff berth last season or won a CFP semifinal before being defeated by Georgia. And Boston College didn’t beat an FBS team last season by more than one point. Coming off that adversity should give Flowers an advantage going into the NFL. He won’t take any success for granted, as he comes from a show where doing a bowling game is considered a big hit.
Flowers has as much of a chance to succeed in his first year in the NFL as any wide receiver in the draft and enters in the best situation of any of the four taken in the first round. Sure, Addison goes to Minnesota and Kirk Cousins has to shoot the ball at least 40 times a game because the Vikings already have the best receiver in the league in Justin Jefferson, which will give Addison plenty of reps. So you have to remember that Cousins is throwing the ball to him. The Ravens’ playbook is pared down to highlight Jackson and cheer everyone around him. And that will mean possibilities for Flowers, as Beckham is not a sure bet to have a monopoly on targets like Jefferson.
Meanwhile in the NFL Draft The Ravens themselves weren’t the biggest winners, Baltimore had the best week of any team and that includes the Jets, who ultimately have a respectable quarterback. And Aaron Rodgers will take New York to the playoffs, and that’s it. A healthy, motivated Jackson with a strong offensive line and multiple threats on the outside is a phenomenal place in Baltimore. The addition of Flowers was the best cherry on top Jackson could have hoped for on the best day of his career.
