Does the signing of WR Seth Roberts mean the Ravens won’t pick a wide receiver in Round 1?

Baltimore has kept tradition with the signing of a veteran pass-catcher with the addition of former-Raiders WR Seth Roberts. With this signing, some are questioning whether Baltimore will now look to other areas early in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Short answer: No. Congrats, I’m not going to drag this out for another four paragraphs to answer the question you already knew. But if you’d like to stick around and read why, I’d certainly appreciate it.

First, Seth Roberts isn’t the number one receiver that turns this offense into a scoring machine. He’s a good receiver — no doubt— but he’s not the star Baltimore has endlessly searched for. In truth, I’m excited to see Roberts on the Ravens. He’s a skilled receiver who consistently puts up 40 catches, 450 yards and three touchdowns.

Second, I doubt anybody that’s been signed has changed the draft strategy for the offense, and I’m including Earl Thomas. Eric DeCosta is an Ozzie Newsome disciple. He’s studied and mentored behind one of the NFL’s best General Managers in history and also been his top co-counsel for years. The draft strategy is often ‘best player available’ and that won’t be changed by any addition, from Mark Ingram, Thomas and Roberts to the re-signing of Robert Griffin III or Nick Boyle.

Finally, there are still needs on the roster and the signing of Roberts only moves the needle from red to yellow. The Ravens now have a solid WR2 with Roberts and quite possibly the best slot receiver this team has ever featured with Willie Snead IV, but even with these two compliments on the roster, there is a true need for a number one receiver. Somebody to not only move the chains, but become a threat to score early and often. The Ravens know of these players as the AFC North has featured superstar receivers for years with Antonio Brown, A.J. Green, Josh Gordon and the newest addition, Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. This strongly suggests that if a receiver like D.K. Metcalf or Parris Campbell were to still be on the board at 22, Baltimore will make the pick.