Ravens News 4/19: X-Factors

Ravens strength coach Scott Elliott in awe of Derrick Henry, ready to take him and the team to next level

Giana Han, The Baltimore Banner

Strength and conditioning coordinator Scott Elliott described the energy among the participants as having an edge to it. He said he was impressed by the condition of the players. In fact, he’s “never been more excited in April for Lamar Jackson.”

“That’s why what we’re going to help him do is keep that same trajectory,” Elliott said. “He’s had one heck of a career. Our goal is that it gets even better from here. [It’s] not age, not years of service — none of that. He keeps getting better and better, and it’s his work ethic.”

This year, Elliott said, they’re starting with a two-pronged focus of on-the field activities and weight room exercises. Off the field, they have a “mobility and activation focus,” while in the weight room they’re trying to build “structural balance.”

“We’re working everything from max acceleration or max velocity, acceleration, change of direction, [deceleration] and then into tissue prep with conditioning, cardiovascular conditioning, that’s going to carry us through Phase 1 into Phase 2, OTAs,” Elliott said of organized team activities.

“In the weight room, we’re working on structural balance, so we’re really trying to build a base — so front to back, left to right – [and] something we can lay down as the foundation to go into more of a power phase,” Elliott said. “I look at these guys as skyscrapers, in the sense of, they’re larger than life, so with that — with a skyscraper — you’ve got to dig down deep, [and] you’ve got to have a foundation that supports that.”

Davante Adams among five WR1s who need most help from 2024 NFL Draft

Michelle Magdziuk, NFL.com

Zay Flowers

In his 2023 rookie season, Flowers showed off his quickness and elite separation skills, averaging 3.7 yards of separation per target (third among WRs with 100-plus targets, per NGS). However, given his small stature (5-foot-9 and 182 pounds), he has predictably struggled to make contested catches in the NFL. Per PFF, Flowers caught just five contested targets all last season. He had notable trouble against press coverage, coming down with just three receptions vs. press coverage in 2023, which was by far the fewest among wide receivers with at least 100 targets. With Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor on the roster, the Ravens need to add a big-bodied wideout who can make contested catches on the outside to take some of the pressure off Flowers and allow him to run more routes in the middle of the field, where he can excel with his skill set.

Best fit: Xavier Legette, South Carolina (Draft projection: Rounds 2-3)

Legette has the rare skill set of being both big and fast. He had one of the more impressive performances at the NFL Scouting Combine, clocking a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and a 40-inch vertical jump while measuring 6-1 and 221 pounds. Legette is an excellent contested catch playmaker with a big catch radius — he’d be a perfect complement to the speed and finesse of Flowers.

Evaluating Baltimore Ravens’ 9-player draft haul in Dane Brugler’s 7-round mock

Jeff Zrebiec, The Athletic

The buzz in this draft is that most teams don’t have close to 32 players with a first-round grade. Thus, it’s conceivable that the Ravens may have to settle for taking a player at No. 30 with a second-round grade. With nine offensive linemen coming off the board within the first 25 picks in Brugler’s mock, [Jordan] Morgan would be a decent consolation prize.

[Xavier] Legette would be very good value at No. 62. He was just one of two SEC receivers last year to average 100 yards per game. The other one, LSU’s Malik Nabers, will come off the board in the top 10. More than anything, the 6-foot-1, 223-pound prospect would diversify the Ravens’ receiving corps. They need a big and physical target who can make contested catches.

I also like Brugler prioritizing the safety position with the third-round selection of [Malik] Mustapha. It’s an underrated need for the Ravens after they lost Geno Stone in free agency and haven’t yet re-signed Daryl Worley. They currently have no obvious No. 3 safety on their roster behind Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton, unless they use Ar’Darius Washington, who they like in the slot, in that role.

[Khyree] Jackson could very well develop into the starting-caliber corner the Ravens need, but this feels like a year that DeCosta needs to take a bigger swing at cornerback. It’s both a current and a future need with Marlon Humphrey coming off an injury-plagued season, Brandon Stephens a season away from free agency and several of the team’s younger corners having yet to establish themselves as impact guys.

5 biggest X-factors in the 2024 NFL Draft: Brock Bowers, Chop Robinson and more

Gordon McGuinness, PFF

EDGE CHOP ROBINSON, PENN STATE

Robinson might hear his name called in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft next week, and that’s because what he’s good at is very valuable, even if he doesn’t yet look like a future every-down player in the NFL. He’s undersized but fast and explosive, having played just 1,021 snaps throughout his college football career. He earned PFF pass-rush grades of 92.4 and 92.3 in his two seasons at Penn State, racking up 74 total pressures from 415 pass-rushing snaps between 2022 and 2023. That pass-rushing ability is tough to teach, and it’s why an NFL team will be happy to draft Robinson relatively early this year.

2024 NFL mock draft with all trades: Deals for 32 first-round picks

Bill Barnwell, ESPN

30. Baltimore Ravens

Chargers get: 1-30

Ravens get: 2-37, 4-105

One of the other positions that is going to be subject to teams moving up at the bottom of Round 1 is wide receiver. The Chiefs could consider taking one at No. 32. The Panthers pick at Nos. 33 and 39 and need to get Bryce Young more help. The Pats are at No. 34, and if they don’t go for an offensive tackle, they could take a wideout. Teams are going to need to move around if a second-tier pass-catcher such as Adonai Mitchell (Texas) is available and seen as a priority on their board.

The Chargers could take a wide receiver at No. 5, but if they go for an offensive lineman or trade down and otherwise don’t grab a wideout with their top selection, this would be a place to grab a wideout to play alongside Quentin Johnston. New Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz just came over from Baltimore, so he probably has Eric DeCosta’s number. Baltimore already has a pair of fourth-rounders, but adding another would allow it to further replenish a roster that was hit hard by free agency or package a couple of picks to try to move up on Day 2.