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 College vast receiver twenty second general in final month’s draft.
“He was like ‘Welcome to flock nation,’” Flowers mentioned. “I was like ‘Carmelo Anthony texted me?’ Then I clicked on his page and there were 7 million followers; I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s him.’”
Flowers’ precise debut was far more routine — he joined 23 others at a three-day rookie minicamp Thursday by means of Saturday on the staff’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. But it additionally gave Flowers — and Ravens coaches — a really feel for the way he may be used within the offense. There had been some variations from his days at Boston College.
“It’s more sped up; it’s more urgent,” 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 college, you just have more time to learn it, and they’ll take you through [it] more. In the NFL, you’ve just got to get it and go.”
Translation: Flowers, like every rookie, admittedly made his share of errors. But that’s what apply is for.
It was simply two days, however Ravens coach John Harbaugh mentioned Flowers appeared as marketed, calling him “quick” with “good hands” and “very smart.”
“He’s picking things up really quickly, playing every position right now across the board with what we’ve installed,” Harbaugh mentioned.
Quite a lot of roles
It’s method too early to know precisely how the Ravens will deploy Flowers this season, or the sort of affect he could have in an overhauled receiver group. Last yr, the Ravens’ vast receivers ranked final within the NFL in yards. This yr, they added two-time All-Pro 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. But there are indicators, previous and current, that present at the least some indication of the place to count on to see Flowers on the sector this season and the sorts of contributions he might make.
Harbaugh supplied some perception Saturday, saying that Flowers caught punts throughout apply, and appeared good doing so. It’s a task the staff will think about for its new speedster, who ran the 40-yard sprint in 4.42 seconds on the NFL scouting mix.
Last season, Devin Duvernay was the Ravens’ prime punt returner, a place he earned All-Pro 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 College.
But the Ravens clearly didn’t draft Flowers to be a returner.
In 4 years at Boston College, Flowers was on the sector for two,647 snaps (greater than 55 per sport), ran 1,415 routes and was focused 347 occasions, in line with Pro Football Focus, catching 199 of these passes, together with a school-record 29 touchdowns. During 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 surface. 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 yr’s draft class.
In different phrases, the Ravens aren’t prone to characteristic him in only a slot function.
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 staff in receptions final season.
As for Flowers, he did most of his injury his final two years at Boston College lining up outdoors, scoring on every part 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 outdoors, faked an out, ran a submit and raced by two extra defenders after catching the ball to attain.
“He was fast enough and physical enough to be an outside receiver for them but also quick enough and shifty enough to be a slot receiver,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson informed The Baltimore Sun. “He was actually good with all of the jet, orbit, movement stuff they might run.
“He had good hands and ran great routes but he was really good with his hands on the football, and not just after the catch but with his ability to run jet sweeps and reverses he could always make people miss. It was like, ‘Where’s Waldo?’ Every time you came out [on defense], where is he? His ability to line up as a No. 1, 2 or 3 [receiver] and in the backfield is what made it so hard.”
Clawson, whose Demon Deacons performed in opposition to Boston College three of the previous 4 years, additionally famous Flowers’ capability to arrange routes and understanding of how you can separate in opposition to man protection as properly discover holes in opposition to the zone.
Against Louisville, a 34-33 loss that Clawson mentioned Flowers virtually 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 go 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.
“When you watch his film, you just saw such an explosive player on tape who can play inside and out,” Ravens director of participant personnel Joe Hortiz mentioned. “[He has] great acceleration. [He’s a] playmaker with the ball in his hands, makes big plays, contested plays downfield.”
Ready to contribute
While 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 prone to be the case for Flowers. For one, knowledge reveals that rookie receiver manufacturing has elevated throughout the league over the previous 4 years, in line with Sports Info Solutions. For one other, Flowers has components many imagine will translate instantly to the following degree.
“He’s not just a guy you put in slot and you throw him short passes where he can catch and run,” mentioned Boston College coach and former San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley, including that Flowers was additionally the toughest working apply 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 also got this incredible gift where he can sense where people are so quickly that he makes those first couple people miss so fast. He rarely takes a clean shot and he’s harder to take down than you think.”
That contains in his route operating. Hafley mentioned that Flowers made large jumps final season in his launch off the road in addition to his precision and a focus to element out and in of breaks.
While he was not often pressed at Boston College, Flowers was additionally utilized everywhere in the area and sometimes despatched in movement. The concept was easy: Get him in house.
All of it added as much as Flowers placing up large numbers, notably 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 might use him usually.
Last season, Flowers had 56 catches over the center, in line with PFF, with nearly all of these coming at quick and intermediate depths.
While 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 College.
“I love it,” he mentioned. “I think it fits my style perfectly.”
As for the place Flowers thinks he can wreak probably the most havoc this season, he’s not choosy.
“I feel like I’m a complete receiver,” he mentioned. “I can do it all.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com