The Baltimore Ravens are quietly building up one of the more formidable offenses in the league. While many are giving Baltimore credit for having the reigning MVP in quarterback Lamar Jackson, few are really taking notice at what the Ravens are building around their franchise passer.
Baltimore has one of the best offensive lines in the game, with bookend tackles Ronnie Stanley and Orlando Brown highlighting the group. Of course, the Ravens are well known for their rushing attack, which broke a 41-year old record last season. But it’s Baltimore’s growing wide receiver corps that could be something special, even if no one player will truly put themselves at the top of the league.
For the third consecutive year, the Ravens added two wide receivers through the NFL Draft. Though much of the attention has gone to third-round selection Devin Duvernay, people shouldn’t forget about sixth-round pick James Proche. For as talented, fast, and sure-handed as Duvernay is, Proche could truly rival him physically. And with the hard work Proche is putting in this offseason, he might actually be set up to have the better rookie season of the pair.
It’s not like Proche doesn’t have the stats to back it up either. Proche’s last season at SMU saw him catch 111 passes for 1,225 yards and 15 touchdowns. Proche actually has more consistent stats overall, catching 301 total passes for 3,949 receiving yards and 39 receiving touchdowns compared to Duvernay’s 2,468 yards and 16 touchdowns on 176 receptions.
Proche has been training with David Robinson, a skills coach who has worked with a bunch of Pro Bowl talent from around the league, including Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Adrian Peterson, Dez Bryant, and Chris Godwin. You might have even seen Robinson working with Jaleel Scott, Antoine Wesley, and Duvernay this offseason. In talking with Robinson about what he’s seen from Proche so far, he was very high on his ability to get open.
“He’s very hard to cover on those option routes, covering the man-to-man, the bump-and-run, press coverage,” Robinson said. “It’s going to be really hard to put hands on him because he’s really quick and elusive on the line of scrimmage.”
Robinson’s evaluation echoes what we said about Proche right after he was drafted by Baltimore. He’s got more speed than many are giving him credit for, and when teamed up with his agility and sure hands as well as improving route running, Proche shouldn’t be taken lightly. Backup quarterback Robert Griffin III also spoke highly of Proche’s work ethic while Robinson praised his intelligence.
“He’s very very intelligent, very smart,” Robinson continued. “You’re getting a player similar to like Jarvis Landry when he came out. Very similar in stature but knows the game like a quarterback knows the game. That’s what’s really going to, I believe, help him have a long career in the NFL.”
If Robinson’s projection is anywhere close to correct and Proche can live up to Landry’s billing, the Ravens are getting a monster on the inside. Landry caught 84 passes for 758 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie with the Miami Dolphins before breaking the 1,100-yard mark the following season.
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