Questions have been surrounding the Ravens wide receiver corps all season long, but rightfully so. Torrey Smith has stepped up and played well as a threat to stretch defenses with his speed. Jacoby Jones, while he is a superb kick returner, is a middling slot receiver that flashes occasionally due to his speed. Marlon Brown, a rookie undrafted free agent from Georgia, has played rather well, but is more of a technician than anything. The corps is not bad, per say, but something is missing, especially for a quarterback like Joe Flacco.

Flacco needs a sort of “safety blanket” receiver. Dennis Pitta, a tight end, acts in that role, but then again, most tight ends do. Flacco needs a wide receiver to attack the sideline and win at contested catch points, allowing Flacco to essentially throw the ball to said receiver at almost any time. Last year, that man was Anquan Boldin. Foolishly, he was sent off to San Francisco for a 6th round pick and Flacco was left without his most reliable target. Due in part to Boldin’s departure, Flacco’s play this year has been less than impressive. In order to get him back to where he was last year, or, more correctly, to what he appeared to be last year, a big, physical receiver is necessary in Baltimore.

There are a few talented players that fit the “big and physical” label in this year’s wide receiver class, but none are better than Texas A&M’s Mike Evans. Listed at 6’5” and 225 pounds, Evans is physically superior to every defensive back he plays against. He does a superb job using his arm length and raw strength to vertically separate from defensive backs at the catch point and box them out, if need be. Much like Boldin, Evans is “open” even when he really is not. As stated, he physically out-matches his opponents then attacks the ball in the air with his incredibly strong hands and wins on nearly every occasion, just as a “safety blanket” receiver should. When pinned on the sideline, Evans thrives even more, much like Boldin did. When setting up to snatch a ball out of the air, Evans sets himself up in a position to land in bounds when he comes down. He has a superb understanding of the boundary and can be used as a sideline threat. Not only is a sideline threat, but he can be a simple chain mover. With his large frame and hands like glue, Evans can be incredibly effective on high percentage routes, such as slants and curls. More often than not, his size and strength will allow him to win these routes.

Unfortunately, Evans is not quite perfect. As a route runner, he is rather undeveloped and at Texas A&M, he is not often asked to run anything too intricate too often. Once the ball is in his hand, he will not burn anyone with blazing speed or beat multiple defenders in space. Although, he is not a bad athlete, per say, but his speed is nothing more than average.

As a whole product, Evans if a phenom, despite being far from a finished product. To be as dominant as he is considering how raw he is should scare future defenses. Once his full potential is tapped, he can be a top five NFL wide receiver. For the younger stages of his career as a pro, he would still be a stellar “safety blanket” for Joe Flacco, which is much needed for Flacco. Evans, while he is not a complete replica of Boldin, would fill his role that has been entirely vacated this year. With Evans becoming apart of Flacco’s arsenal, a healthy Ravens receiving corps would be a nightmare for defensive coordinators.