Ravens 2021 NFL Draft Profile: WR Dyami Brown

The Baltimore Ravens could use another playmaker on the outside at wide receiver to help elevate their passing attack that ranked dead last in the league in 2020 in both yards and attempts. While he can’t do anything to increase the volume of their passing game, University North Carolina’s Dyami Brown can help improve their yardage and overall efficiency with his dynamic playmaking ability.

Over his final two seasons at Chapel Hill from 2019-2020, the former Tar Heel hauled in 20 touchdowns, recorded back-to-back seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards, and averaged over 20 yards per reception.

Brown isn’t a true burner with elite speed but became one of the best deep ball wide receivers in all of college football by using his build-up speed, ball tracking skills, and good length to his advantage.

He also possesses good burst and makes corners hesitate with double moves and other subtle nuances to gain a step or two, get wide open down the field and beat press coverage.

His wide catch radius and ability to both highpoint and come down with the ball on the boundary make him an ideal outside receiver who can play either the X or Z in any offense. He can also decelerate to haul in under thrown passes as well as extend and adjust to reel in slightly overthrown or errant balls.

In addition to being a downfield weapon, Brown can be utilized out of the slot, makes tough grabs over the middle in traffic, and can be a tough tackle after the catch with a nose for the first down. He is a willing blocker in the run game but could benefit from adding a little more muscle to his slender 6-foot-1 and 185-pound frame to improve his functional strength.

Because he’s such a dangerous vertical threat, the cushion that defensive backs give allows him to often have free releases off the line of scrimmage and open up space for him to throttle down and break his routes off at the intermediate level both inside and outside the numbers.

Brown didn’t run a sub 4.4 time in the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day like some scouts were hoping for but his unofficial 4.44 isn’t slow either. He did show off his explosion with a 35.5-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot-8 broad jump.

Sometimes he’ll let very catchable balls hit the turf on what should be routine receptions and his drop rate in college is a bit concerning. It is a trait that would need to be corrected in order for him to become a reliable option for Lamar Jackson in a low-volume passing attack like the Ravens where targets can be few and far between.

He isn’t a polished route runner either but that is most likely due to the fact that he ran a limited route tree in college rather than an indictment that he isn’t capable of becoming one.

Nevertheless, Brown is a dynamic talent with electric playmaking ability and would pair well with an even more electrifying dual-threat quarterback in Jackson. He would be an exciting selection for the Ravens in either the second or third round and provide some more juice to their young receiving core.