Zay Flowers’ first “Welcome to the NFL” second got here within the type of a message from Baltimore native and former NBA star Carmelo Anthony, who reached out after the Ravens chosen the Boston School vast receiver twenty second general in final month’s draft.
“He was like ‘Welcome to flock nation,’” Flowers mentioned. “I used to be like ‘Carmelo Anthony texted me?’ Then I clicked on his web page and there have been 7 million followers; I used to be like, ‘Yeah, that’s him.’”
Flowers’ precise debut was far more routine — he joined 23 others at a three-day rookie minicamp Thursday via Saturday on the crew’s facility in Owings Mills.
In some ways, it was simply one other couple of practices for a participant who’s been having them for many of his life. Nevertheless it additionally gave Flowers — and Ravens coaches — a really feel for the way he could be used within the offense. There have been some variations from his days at Boston School.
“It’s extra sped up; it’s extra pressing,” Flowers mentioned Saturday. “You’ve received to know what you’re doing. You’ve received to have the ability to take it from the classroom to the sector.
“In school, you simply have extra time to be taught it, they usually’ll take you thru [it] extra. Within the NFL, you’ve simply received to get it and go.”
Translation: Flowers, like all rookie, admittedly made his share of errors. However that’s what observe is for.
It was simply two days, however Ravens coach John Harbaugh mentioned Flowers appeared as marketed, calling him “fast” with “good palms” and “very good.”
“He’s choosing issues up actually shortly, taking part in each place proper now throughout the board with what we’ve put in,” Harbaugh mentioned.
A wide range of roles
It’s method too early to know precisely how the Ravens will deploy Flowers this season, or the form of affect he may have in an overhauled receiver group. Final 12 months, the Ravens’ vast receivers ranked final within the NFL in yards. This 12 months, they added two-time All-Professional Odell Beckham Jr. and veteran Nelson Agholor and have a wholesome Rashod Bateman, whose second season in Baltimore ended after six video games due to foot surgical procedure. However there are indicators, previous and current, that present a minimum of some indication of the place to count on to see Flowers on the sector this season and the sorts of contributions he may make.
Harbaugh offered some perception Saturday, saying that Flowers caught punts throughout observe, and appeared good doing so. It’s a job the crew will take into account for its new speedster, who ran the 40-yard sprint in 4.42 seconds on the NFL scouting mix.
Final season, Devin Duvernay was the Ravens’ prime punt returner, a place he earned All-Professional honors in 2021. He has been inconsistent as a receiver, nonetheless, throughout his three years in Baltimore and might be expendable this summer season. Flowers, in the meantime, returned seven punts for 43 yards final season for Boston School.
However the Ravens clearly didn’t draft Flowers to be a returner.
In 4 years at Boston School, Flowers was on the sector for two,647 snaps (greater than 55 per recreation), ran 1,415 routes and was focused 347 occasions, in keeping with Professional Soccer Focus, catching 199 of these passes, together with a school-record 29 touchdowns. Throughout that span, he performed within the slot 33.9% of the time, averaging 2.35 yards per route run, in contrast with 1.86 yards on the skin. His mixed 2.11 yards per route run since 2019 and 119 mixed first downs and touchdowns additionally ranked fourth most amongst all receivers on this 12 months’s draft class.
In different phrases, the Ravens aren’t more likely to function him in only a slot position.
At 30 years previous and coming off a second torn ACL, Beckham isn’t the identical explosive deep menace he as soon as was and will see a major shift to the within. The Ravens even have one of many league’s higher pass-catching tight ends in Mark Andrews, who led the crew in receptions final season.
As for Flowers, he did most of his injury his final two years at Boston School lining up exterior, scoring on all the pieces from bubble screens to whip routes to deep passes, together with in a 43-15 loss to Wake Forest final season during which he had 10 catches for 135 yards. The spotlight was a 61-yard landing on which Flowers lined up exterior, faked an out, ran a submit and raced by two extra defenders after catching the ball to attain.
“He was quick sufficient and bodily sufficient to be an out of doors receiver for them but in addition fast sufficient and shifty sufficient to be a slot receiver,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson instructed The Baltimore Solar. “He was actually good with all of the jet, orbit, movement stuff they might run.
“He had good palms and ran nice routes however he was actually good together with his palms on the soccer, and never simply after the catch however together with his capacity to run jet sweeps and reverses he may all the time make folks miss. It was like, ‘The place’s Waldo?’ Each time you got here out [on defense], the place is he? His capacity to line up as a No. 1, 2 or 3 [receiver] and within the backfield is what made it so onerous.”
Clawson, whose Demon Deacons performed in opposition to Boston School three of the previous 4 years, additionally famous Flowers’ capacity to arrange routes and understanding of the best way to separate in opposition to man protection as effectively discover holes in opposition to the zone.
In opposition to Louisville, a 34-33 loss that Clawson mentioned Flowers nearly received single-handedly for the Eagles, Flowers scored twice, together with on a 57-yard bomb on which he caught the ball between two defenders happening the center and on a 69-yard move that started with him lined up vast proper earlier than using a double transfer to get open throughout the center. He completed with 5 catches for a season-high 151 yards and two touchdowns.
“Whenever you watch his movie, you simply noticed such an explosive participant on tape who can play inside and outside,” Ravens director of participant personnel Joe Hortiz mentioned. “[He has] nice acceleration. [He’s a] playmaker with the ball in his palms, makes massive performs, contested performs downfield.”
Able to contribute
Whereas rookie vast receivers have traditionally struggled within the NFL for quite a lot of causes — velocity of the sport, complexity of offenses, adjusting to a brand new quarterback — that appears much less more likely to be the case for Flowers. For one, information exhibits that rookie receiver manufacturing has elevated throughout the league over the previous 4 years, in keeping with Sports activities Information Options. For an additional, Flowers has parts many imagine will translate instantly to the following stage.
“He’s not only a man you set in slot and also you throw him quick passes the place he can catch and run,” mentioned Boston School coach and former San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley, including that Flowers was additionally the toughest working observe participant he’s seen in a very long time. “He can go up and get it and take the ball away from folks. That’s the place his greatest enchancment was.
“He’s additionally received this unimaginable present the place he can sense the place individuals are so shortly that he makes these first couple folks miss so quick. He not often takes a clear shot and he’s more durable to take down than you assume.”
That features in his route working. Hafley mentioned that Flowers made massive jumps final season in his launch off the road in addition to his precision and a focus to element out and in of breaks.
Whereas he was not often pressed at Boston School, Flowers was additionally utilized all around the discipline and infrequently despatched in movement. The thought was easy: Get him in area.
All of it added as much as Flowers placing up massive numbers, significantly between the numbers — an space that his new quarterback Lamar Jackson likes to focus on. It’s additionally the place the Ravens’ new offensive coordinator Todd Monken may use him typically.
Final season, Flowers had 56 catches over the center, in keeping with PFF, with nearly all of these coming at quick and intermediate depths.
Whereas it’s unclear the place the rookies will receiver most of his targets in Baltimore, Flowers did say that Monken’s offense reminds him of what he did at Boston School.
“I find it irresistible,” he mentioned. “I believe it suits my type completely.”
As for the place Flowers thinks he can wreak probably the most havoc this season, he’s not choosy.
“I really feel like I’m a whole receiver,” he mentioned. “I can do all of it.”
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