Ravens' Torrey Smith emerging into one of NFL's better receivers

One of the biggest Ravens stories this season has been Torrey Smith becoming a complete receiver.

His routes are more refined, he's catching just about everything thrown his way and he's picking up big yardage after the catch.

With five games in the rear view mirror, Smith hasn't just become more of a complete receiver. He's become one of the better receivers in the entire NFL.

Smith's 556 receiving yards put him third overall in receiving yards for the 2013 season, with Saints tight end Jimmy Graham (593) and Falcons receiver Julio Jones (580) the only two in front of him. His 20.6-yards per reception average is second behind Santonio Holmes (24.3).

Also impressive is that 185 yards of Smith's 556 have been picked up after contact. That's good for a fifth-place tie among NFL receivers.

Smith has seen a lot of attention from opposing secondaries, especially with Jacoby Jones sidelined with a sprained MCL. But he's still been able to pick up big plays in the passing game. This is evidenced by his 13 catches of 20 yards or more, which ranks first in the league.

"[Smith] gets a lot of double coverage," Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters on Monday. "He gets a lot of press [coverage]. He gets a guy pressed and then a guy on top of him — what we call choke coverage. And he's done a good job handling all of those things. He gets off the line of scrimmage against press better than people think. They think they can keep him on the line of scrimmage, but he does a better job releasing than people expect."