Why Breshad Perriman isn’t the only 2015 draft pick in need of a breakout year

The Ravens drafted a wide receiver with their first pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Breshad Perriman. However, the Ravens were not done adding weapons. In the second round, the Ravens selected Maxx Williams, a tight end out of Minnesota. Williams was the consensus best tight end in the draft, in fact, the Ravens traded up in the second round to be able to draft him.

However, Williams has just 18 total games played in two years, and just seven starts. He has a total of 268 career receiving yards. These are far from the numbers expected for a second round pick.

This offseason, the Ravens proved that they have a lot of trust in the offensive pieces that they have now. Thus, showing that they still believe in Williams. In 2017, Williams must prove the front office and coaching staff to be correct in having faith in him by having a breakout season.

Coming out of college, the scouting reports on Williams all described him as having the potential to be a truly dynamic weapon. Williams is a fantastic athlete who was one of the stars of the combine, and he also possesses a large catch radius. No other tight end on the Ravens roster has Williams athletic ability.

The Ravens have two big-play receivers on the outside in Perriman and Mike Wallace, but they don’t have a truly reliable tight end to cover the middle of the field. Yes, Dennis Pitta came back from a major injury and played well last year, but let’s face it, he is far from what he once was. Benjamin Watson could possibly be cut due to his contract, and Nick Boyle may be moving to a H-back role.

That leaves Pitta, Williams and Crocket Gillmore as the main receiving options. Gillmore is nowhere near the type of weapon that Williams has the potential to be. Pitta will more than likely be the Week One starter, but it is crucial this year that Williams begins to live up to his potential, because Pitta is still an injury prone player, and he is 31 years old. It’s fair to wonder how many years Pitta has left beyond the two years remaining on his current contract. The Ravens offense could use a dynamic, but reliable tight end for the long term. Williams has the potential to be both. 2017 will be essential to Williams in order to shake off the bust label, as well as help the much maligned Ravens offense succeed.