By Alex Woodward
Eric DeCosta certainly made sure people took notice of his first year as the Ravens General Manager. After being Ozzie Newsome's understudy for the better part of two decades, DeCosta made a statement with his first draft class: the Ravens need speed on offense.
Ozzie Newsome's influence over DeCosta was apparent in the draft but at the same time he found a way to find his own path as GM. DeCosta made trades in both picks to acquire 1st round pick Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and 3rd round pick Miles Boykin. He moved back from 22nd overall to 25th while also acquiring 4th and 6th round picks from the Eagles in order to acquire Marquise Brown out of Oklahoma. He later moved up in the third round by trading a 3rd and two 6th round picks to acquire Miles Boykin out of Notre Dame.
Brown was drafted to be a playmaker. Some question his size at 5'10" 170 lbs and his injury risk considering he's coming off surgery on a lisfranc injury but DeCosta is banking on "Hollywood's" ability to use his speed to break plays open. He can beat an opposing defense over the top, he can take a slant or a screen pass for a big gain or we might see him running with the football out of the backfield. His speed not only helps Lamar Jackson but it will also have a positive impact on the rest of the offense and I'm sure Greg Roman will find creative ways to get him the ball.
Miles Boykin is a bigger receiver at 6'4" 220 lbs but don't let the size fool you, he also brings speed to the offense. He ran a 4.42 forty yard dash at the combine which is a great compliment to his WR1 body style. He's fast, he has long arms and he's a good route runner. DeCosta got the best of both worlds with his first 2 WR selections. Marquise Brown fits the undersized homerun hitter mold while Boykin represents a bigger target for Lamar Jackson which should help with some inaccurate throws. Lamar can throw Brown open with his speed while Boykin can turn an errant pass into a first down.
I believe the addition of Brown and Boykin will not only help Lamar Jackson but the rest of the offense. With speed on the edges and speed at the QB position, that will free up space across the middle of the field for the grinders like Willie Snead, Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst.
Last year, the Ravens ran at a ridiculous pace with Lamar Jackson as their quarterback. I think they will still use elements of last year's offense in 2019 but there is no way they run Lamar Jackson as much as they did in his 8 games as the starter. The addition of Mark Ingram in free agency and the 4th round selection of RB Justice Hill out of Oklahoma State confirms that the Ravens want to take some of the rushing pressure off of Lamar.
Hill is an undersized back at 5'10" 198 lbs but like Brown, you have to be able to catch him for his size to factor into things. John Harbaugh and Eric DeCosta have both admitted that the team needs a "homerun hitter" on the offense and Hill has the potential to be that guy. He has great speed with a 4.4 forty time at the combine and it's noticeable when you see him explode through the hole. I don't know how much he fits into the Ravens running back committee of Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon but if he can develop his receiving ability out of the backfield, he's just another speedy weapon at Baltimore's disposal and could develop into a 3rd down running back.
In the 6th round, DeCosta went for athleticism in QB Trace McSorley out of Penn State. Harbaugh said McSorley is a quarterback but I think he will play multiple positions. They will probably split him out wide and use him on special teams in a similar way the Saints use Taysom Hill. The Ravens usage of McSorley could be even more dangerous since Lamar is so quick and we can't forget about Robert Griffin III. Could we see all three on the field at the same time for a play?
Overall, it appears the Ravens have finally caught up with what the rest of the league already knew - speed kills. For years this offense appeared predictable, slow and devoid of playmakers. Now, with Lamar Jackson at the helm and the focus on speed in this years draft; the offense has the most playmakers at their disposal since Ray Rice and Anquan Boldin were on the team, they have an innovative mind as their offensive coordinator and they are most certainly not slow anymore.
Look at what the Steelers did with their 2019 first round draft pick. They traded up from 20th overall to 10th overall to grab ILB Devin Bush out of Michigan. Bush is an extremely fast middle linebacker that can go sideline to sideline and he's a sure tackler. You think the Steelers didn't notice Lamar Jackson looked faster than nearly everyone on the field last year?! They want an answer to that and the Ravens only strengthened their offense by adding more speed around Lamar.