Texas Football: Ravens get their next deep threat with Devin Duvernay

Next up out of the Texas football program in the 2020 NFL Draft is former wide receiver Devin Duvernay, at No. 92 overall to the Baltimore Ravens.

The last pick on day two in the 2020 NFL Draft out of the Texas football program was the star senior wide receiver Devin Duvernay. As one of the busier teams on day two of the draft, especially in the third round, the Baltimore Ravens did some good work near the end. Duvernay was one of their four third round picks in this draft, at No. 92 overall.

The first pick out of the Texas Longhorns football program in the 2020 NFL Draft was safety Brandon Jones, who landed with the Miami Dolphins at No. 70 overall. Jones was one of the few former Longhorns who were anticipated to potentially be the first off the board in this draft. Duvernay was also a consideration in this regard too.

Duvernay is coming off a senior season where he registered more than 100 receptions for 1,386 yards and 10 total touchdowns. He ranked in the top five in the nation in receptions and receiving yards last season. Duvernay was really the sole reliable target that Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger had in the passing game, that was able to stay healthy throughout the 2019 season.

The 5-foot-11 and 210 pound Duvernay possesses pretty good strength for his size and track-level speed. Duvernay ran one of the five fastest 40-yard dash times of any wide receiver in this draft class (4.39 seconds). He’s going to be burning a lot of opposing defensive backs at the next level.

Duvernay is also an underrated route runner with insanely reliable hands. He has the makings of a wide receiver that is going to last a very long time in the NFL. What he will have to continue to do is find his best niche with the Ravens.

The Ravens do already have one deep threat in the mix this year, with former Oklahoma Sooners star wide receiver Marquise Brown. That does make this an interesting pick for the Ravens since Duvernay has similarities in his skill set to that of Brown.

But if the Ravens want to model their offense like the reigning Super Bowl Champions Kansas City Chiefs did, then adding more speed like this is an effective move. Adding Duvernay to a group that already includes the likes of Miles Boykin, De’Anthony Thomas, and Willie Snead is going to be fun to watch without a doubt.

There does need to be a good support system in place surrounding the reigning first-time Pro Bowl selection and NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. Giving him one more target in the passing game like Duvernay could be a move that pays dividends immediately.

The Ravens also made a lot of moves early in the 2020 NFL Draft to shore up numerous different positional needs. The team that had the best record in the regular season last year added namely to running back, linebacker, and the defensive line.

Two of the first names off the board for the Ravens in the 2020 draft included former LSU Tigers linebacker Patrick Queen (28th overall) and former Ohio State Buckeyes running back J.K. Dobbins. Duvernay was their first wide receiver selected in this draft, though.

It’s not out of the question for Duvernay to get a starting spot, or at least a significant amount of passing game targets, right out of the gates with the Ravens. He is going to be another solid deep threat, alongside other wide receivers like Brown and Snead. But he also possesses enough reliability and versatility to be a good intermediate passing game target too.