Can Breshad Perriman replace Torrey Smith in the Ravens&apos; offense?
After weeks of insisting that they didn’t feel pressure to add a wide receiver, the Ravens couldn’t resist adding another target for quarterback Joe Flacco.
Ten years since last picking a wide receiver in the first round of the NFl draft, the Ravens used the 26th pick on Central Florida’s Breshad Perriman, considered one of the fastest players in the draft.
Perriman, 21, didn’t work out at the NFL scouting combine because of a hamstring injury, but he ran a 4.22 in the 40-yard-dash during his pro day. That elevated his draft status to the point where it wasn’t clear if Perriman would even be available when the Ravens were on the clock.
Perriman worked out with the Ravens before the draft and called it his best visit with an NFL team.
Perriman certainly adds much-needed outside speed to a team that lost Torrey Smith (San Francisco 49ers) and Jacoby Jones (San Diego Chargers) this offseason and has just one returning receiver, Steve Smith, who had more than 25 catches last year.
The son of Brett Perriman, who played receiver in the NFL for a decade, Breshad is the first receiver that the Ravens have drafted in the first round since Mark Clayton in 2005. He’s also the first offensive player that they’ve taken with their first pick since tackle Michael Oher in 2009.
Newsome said that if Perriman wasn’t available, the Ravens would have probably traded back or out of the first round altogether. Several other players that the Ravens were targeting had already been taken, as the San Diego Chargers selected Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon with the 15th pick, the Houston Texans grabbed Wake Forest cornerback Kevin Johnson at 16 and the Kansas City Chiefs took Washington cornerback Marcus Peters at 18.
For all their drafting success, the Ravens have struggled to develop pass catchers and Yamon Figurs, a third-rounder in 2007, and Torrey Smith, a second-rounder in 2011, are the only receivers that they’ve drafted within the first three rounds since 2005. Smith is viewed as one of their only homegrown wide receiver success stories. But team officials are obviously confident that Perriman will change that script and be a difference maker.
He joins a receiving corps that has plenty of possession receivers in Steve Smith, Kamar Aiken, Marlon Brown and Michael Campanaro (River Hill), but lacks a legitimate deep threat after Torrey Smith’s departure. That was an issue given Flacco’s reputation as one of the league’s best deep-ball throwers and new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman’s desire to develop a dynamic downfield passing attack.
Perriman, a Georgia native, caught 115 passes for 2,243 yards and 16 touchdowns in three seasons at Central Florida before declaring for the draft following his junior year. He caught four touchdowns and averaged 20.8 yards per reception in his sophomore year, but emerged as a strong NFL prospect last season with 50 catches for 1,044 yards and nine scores.
At 6 feet 2 and 212 pounds, Perriman has all the attributes of the game-breaking wide receivers that are so in demand in today’s NFL. His speed helps him get behind the defense and his size and strength allow him to shed cornerbacks and make plays on the ball. He’s not exclusively a deep threat, but he does the most damage on the outside and working in the red zone.
Perriman, who took part in the U.S. Junior Olympics track and field program, has top-end straight line speed. However, he’s also shown plenty of explosiveness and quickness getting in and out of breaks, and gaining separation on underneath routes. He also gets high marks with his downfield blocking and his ability to run after the catch.
If there’s a knock on Perriman, it’s that he has lost his focus at times and dropped some routine passes.
The Ravens were impressed with Perriman’s candor during his predraft visit. He acknowledged that his issues with drops were a result of lapses of concentration.
After having filled one of their biggest needs with an outside receiver, the Ravens can now turn their attention to their other roster holes. The Ravens would like to come out of the draft with another cornerback, running back and pass rusher.
The Ravens have nine more picks: one each in the second, third and sixth rounds, and three each in the fourth and fifth rounds. Rounds two and three will begin Friday night at 7 p.m. The draft will then wrap up with rounds four through seven on Saturday, starting at noon.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Yamon Figurs as a third-round pick in 2011. He was a third-round pick in 2007.
College highlights: Earned first-team All-America Athletic Conference honors as a junior with 1,044 yards and nine touchdowns on 50 receptions. … Went over 100 yards in two of his final three college games. … Emerged as a starter as a sophomore, when he caught 39 passes for 811 yards and four touchdowns.
Personal: Son of 10-year NFL wide receiver Brett Perriman. … Ran track in high school, and was a two-star recruit out of Arabia Mountain High in Georgia.
Analysis: Perriman had drop issues at the end of his time at UCF, but has the chance to develop into the same type of player Torrey Smith was — or better. Young wide receivers have made an incredible impact in the game recently. For Perriman to be that for the Ravens would be a boon.