Report: Ravens to host Central Florida WR Javon Baker for a pre-draft visit

The Ravens are among several teams interested in the potential mid-round gem.

The 2024 NFL Draft is being viewed as one of the deepest wide receiver classes in recent history where teams will find and land prospects at the position who are capable of being immediate contributors in the passing game. In the Baltimore Ravens annual pre-draft press conference, general manager Eric DeCosta called this year’s crop “really deep,” which is in lockstep with the consensus.

Come next week, a prospect a the position to keep an eye on who they might target in the early-to-mid rounds is University of Central Florida standout receiver Javon Baker. According to a report from KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson, the Ravens are among the six teams who are slated to host him for a top 30 pre-draft visit this week.

Baker possesses good size at 6-foot-1 and over 200 lbs., and plays even bigger at the catch point. He can make plays in the slot as well as out wide with dynamic run-after-the-catch ability and uses a nice blend of speed changes and understanding of leverage to gain separation at the second and third levels of the defense.

After beginning his collegiate career at Alabama, Baker transferred to UCF where he finished as the Knights leading receiver in each of the past two seasons. As a senior in 2023, he recorded career highs across the board with 1,139 receiving yards, seven touchdowns and 21.9 yards per catch,which ranked second in the nation.

Baker parlayed his breakout final season in college into an invite to the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl where he was one of the brightest standouts during the week of practice down in Mobile, Alabama.

The former Knight showed off many of the skills he put on tape such as excellent ball tracking down the field, strong hands and contested catch ability. But, he also showcased some more nuanced attributes to his game such as his release off the line of scrimmage to fight press and refined route running at the intermediate level of the field to gain separation.

While Baker is the same height as Ravens projected starting receiver Rashod Bateman, he is five pounds heavier (202 lbs). He brings a different skill set to the table as an inside and outside big-bodied presence who plays really physically while making and after the catch.

In most years, a prospect of his ability and projected impact potential would be a Day 2 lock but given the wealth of talent at the position this year, his projected range is much wider. He could come off the board anywhere from the late second round where the Ravens hold No. 62 overall to the bottom of the third where they have No. 93 overall or as late as early Day 3 where they pick near the top of the fourth at No. 113 overall.