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With the 26th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Ravens have taken wide receiver Breshad Perriman from Central Florida.
It is no surprise that the Ravens desperately needed help with their receiving corps. With Steve Smith turning 36 this season and Torrey Smith being signed by the San Francisco 49ers, the Ravens needed an offensive weapon that could come in and immediately contribute.
Despite the Ravens' insistence that they didn't really need help at the wide receiver position, most fans and analysts saw through that as a bit of a smokescreen. Even though the Ravens do have a young set of wide receivers waiting in the wings, none of them have been able to take the next step and prove themselves on the field when given the chance to shine. They will still have opportunities to make contributions to the team and show off any growth as players this season while things are still in flux, but it is expected that Perriman will be a day 1 starter due to being a top draft pick for the Ravens in a position of need.
Quarterback Joe Flacco had his best season statistically in 2014 and the Ravens would undoubtedly like to build upon that. Part of that comes with Flacco's growth with a young receiver that he can help mold. Torrey Smith was expected to be that player for the Ravens and Flacco, but despite putting up middling numbers of most of his career, his straight line speed sought a few suitors this offseason that eventually pulled him away from the Ravens for more money than they were interested in spending. Perriman should be able to fill that void pretty quickly with a big body at 6-foot-2 and 212-pounds.
Perriman had been mocked anywhere from the middle of the first round all the way through the second or third rounds due to his physical stature but limited route running ability. He has all the physical tools to be able to take the top off a defense and will hopefully mold himself into a true number 1 receiver that the Ravens have been hunting for for so long.