The Baltimore Ravens addressed their wide receiver room in a big way during the 2021 offseason. Not only did the team add Sammy Watkins in free agency, but they also drafted both Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace in the 2021 NFL draft. Baltimore’s receiver room is now flush with talent, but that also means they’ll most likely have to make some tough decisions when it’s time to finalize their roster.
With how often the Ravens run the ball, it can be hard to justify the team keeping seven total wide receivers. It seems much more likely that they’ll end up with six wideouts on their 53-man roster, which creates a positional battle between two players that Baltimore seemingly like a lot.
Barring a significant change, the five of Watkins, Bateman and Wallace along with Marquise Brown and Devin Duvernay will make the Ravens’ final roster. Assuming Baltimore actually does keep six receivers, that leaves one spot for either Miles Boykin or James Proche.
Both players have plenty of potential, but offer different skill sets. Boykin is a 6-foot-4 outside receiver that has a unique blend of size and speed, but has been somewhat disappointing from a production perspective, only catching 32 passes for 464 yards and seven touchdowns throughout his first two seasons in the NFL.
While Boykin does have a decent amount of touchdowns so far, many were expecting him to make a bit more of an impact as a pass catching threat. There have been multiple instances where it appears that the third-year wideout and quarterback Lamar Jackson aren’t on the same page, sparking debates as to how well the two have meshed so far.
For Proche, the second-year wideout has more of a slot receiver skill set, but that in no way diminishes how talented he is. The former SMU product had an incredibly low drop rate in college and also caught 111 passes during his final collegiate season. However, he didn’t get much opportunity during his rookie year with the Ravens.
Proche started the season as Baltimore’s primary punt returner and ended up returning 23 punts, averaging 8.6 yards per return. As a receiver, Proche only caught one pass for 14 yards on three targets. However, the one pass that he did haul in was a beauty of a play.
Hoping to see a lot more Proche next year. This is how you sell a route. Can’t wait until you get a chance @jamesproche3 pic.twitter.com/TUMdVJVH6O
— Huddle It Up Films (@HuddleItUpFilms) February 14, 2021
The Ravens would of course most likely prefer to keep both receivers if they could, but with depth needed at other positions and the way Baltimore’s run-heavy offense is set up, it seems like the team will have to make a choice between Boykin and Proche. The two wide receivers have great amounts of potential, but with Baltimore now having so many talented players at the position, there aren’t many unclaimed roster spots to give out.
Right now, Boykin might have the ever-so-slight edge over Proche due to his experience and also the fact that he’s a very good blocker. However, even if that is the case, with a full offseason to show his skills Proche could quickly overtake the former University of Notre Dame star. Both players will have the chance to separate themselves during training camp as well as the preseason and prove that they deserve to be a part of the Ravens’ future.
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