With the 25th pick in the NFL draft, the Ravens pulled the trigger on star wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.
As a whole, the fit both seems perfect and flawed, depending on the perspective. From an optimistic perspective, Brown should be the perfect complement to the depleted receiving corps as he infused immeasurable speed and athleticism into a pretty bland group of wideouts. However, detractors could note Brown’s lack of size for blocking, a trait necessary for the successful execution of the Baltimore offense with Lamar Jackson.
With the addition of Brown, the Ravens have an immediate replacement for John Brown who left in free agency. While the replacement is nearly like-for-like, John Brown has been almost phased out of the passing offense after Jackson assumed the starting role. Brown had only eight catches in seven Jackson starts, failing to reach 30 yards in any game. With Joe Flacco at the helm, Brown was on pace for over 1,000 yards on the season. With the change at quarterback, Brown became largely obsolete on the stat sheet, but he played a vital role in existing.
With Hollywood Brown coming to town, he will almost certainly be placed in the identical role of the prior Brown. Brown is a similar athletic speedster, but Marquise is more refined as an overall wideout, placing him as a potential WR1 in the coming years. Brown may not have the stature of a traditional number one wideout, but he certainly possesses the elite speed to be a game-breaking talent in the open field.
The blocking issue should be solved by free agent addition Seth Roberts, who was, a tremendous blocking option in Oakland, but the presence of Roberts and lack of Brown bails out the defense. With Roberts on the field, the opposition can hone in on the rushing attack, and the presence of Brown could elicit an additional defensive back for pass coverage. The transition creates a weakness for the Ravens offense, something they must solve to achieve the best of the offense. With the defense having such a distinct advantage when just one is on the field, it is up to offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, to design schemes to regain the initiative.
In two seasons in Norman, Brown posted ten 100-yard games and a pair of 200-yard games, including a ridiculous 265-yard performance against Oklahoma State during the 2017 Bedlam rivalry game. Brown averaged 18 yards-per-catch in his time as a Sooner so that explosiveness will hopefully translate to the NFL for the sake of the Ravens.
Hollywood is certainly not a perfect fit in the Baltimore system, but his upside is as high as any member of the draft class. With the right progression from Jackson, Brown could establish himself as an elite wide receiver from his first game, enabling the earth-shattering combination of elite running talent of the Ravens with the explosive plays.
