Da'Rick Rogers the Next Boldin?

Its hard to downplay the role Anquan Boldin played for the Ravens during their 2012 Super Bowl run, but Boldin took his talents out west to San Fransisco this offseason. Boldin's departure leaves a pretty noticeable hole in a Ravens receiving corps that still boasts two receivers with all-world speed in Jacoby Jones and Torrey Smith. What made Boldin unique was the toughness and physicality he brought to the position, he was fearless making catches in traffic and taking hits. It is pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Ravens will pick a receiver or two in Thursday's draft, and I believe Tennessee Tech's Da'Rick Rogers could be the perfect replacement for Boldin.

Rogers was the SEC's leading receiver in 2011 at Tennessee, but was dismissed from the team before the 2012 season for testing positive for marijuana. Rogers then transferred to FCS Tennessee Tech to play the 2012 season. Rogers has all the measurables, he has incredible strength and is very physical. He has a unique ability to pluck balls away from defenders in traffic and also combines that size and strength with great speed and explosiveness, something that Boldin never really had during his time in Baltimore. Rogers reminds me a lot of Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson. While playing in the SEC, the most hard-nosed and physical conference in the country, he rarely saw press coverage because defensive coordinators were well aware of his strength and physicality. He has very strong hands and rarely drops the ball when taking a big hit. He has a ton of raw talent, but still needs to improve his route running to be an elite receiver at the next level. Rogers might have the highest ceiling of any receiver in this 2013 class and could be steal for Baltimore either late in the 2nd round or even in the 3rd.