The Winners and Losers of Round 1 of the NFL Draft

Winners: Breshad Perriman is the Ravens New Deep Threat

After the departure of Torrey Smith to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, the biggest hole in the Baltimore Ravens' offense was no longer the morass at running back, but the absolute black hole at wide receiver. No longer: Central Florida wideout Breshad Perriman brings to the Ravens receiving corps the same kind of deep threat potential that Torrey Smith himself put into the team. Along with aging possession receiver Steve Smith, Sr., Perriman figures to step right in on the perimeter and contribute early. Can he really replace Torrey Smith's contribution to the team, however?

Our own Joe Juan wrote up our profile on Perriman on the night of the draft, saying,

"Trained in the nuances of the position by his father [Brett Perriman], he also knows how to play the position. In this regard, when watching him on film it quickly becomes apparent that his comparisons to A.J. Green go beyond his pro day numbers.... Breshad demonstrates excellent body control and an ability to adjust to the football. Indeed, time and again, Perriman can be seen making numerous plays that mirror those made by his NFL counterpart.

Using this playmaking ability, Perriman was able to amass 50 receptions for 1,044 yards and 9 touchdowns his final season at UCF. While these are quite impressive numbers -- he accounted for 34% of his team's passing offense in 2014 -- given his size and speed, imagine what Perriman could have done had his quarterback been able to hit him in stride."

Right now, the biggest knocks on Perriman are his focus drops, incomplete route tree, and inconsistency in the nuance of route-running, but he has prototypical size and immense speed for a wide receiver. While these may seem like large flaws, it was necessary for the Ravens to select someone with this kind of upside so late; they were lucky to have two top-25 ranked receivers in 2014 by Total NEP, but after Torrey Smith's departure, they only have one left that was in the top-90. Perriman is a perfect fit for a team in need.