Breshad Perriman to Baltimore Ravens: Full Draft Pick Breakdown

The 2015 NFL draft is underway, and the Baltimore Ravens are on the board with their first pick. 

With the 26th-overall pick, Baltimore selected UCF wide receiver Breshad Perriman. Getting a receiver early in this draft was the biggest position of need heading into the draft, and they addressed it in Round 1. 

Perriman is an explosive player that will come in and start from Day 1 with the Baltimore receiving unit so thin. This is after Torrey Smith left this offseason to sign with the San Francisco 49ers.

Anytime you can address your biggest need with your first pick is a big win. That's what Baltimore have by getting Perriman. 

How Perriman Fits With the Ravens

The 6'2", 212-pound Perriman had 50 catches for 1,044 yards (20.9 avg.) and nine scores this past season as a junior. He ultimately declared for the draft following his big year, and now he's a Raven. 

This wasn't the first year Perriman produced big numbers, though. He grabbed 39 receptions for 811 yards (20.8 avg) and four scores as a sophomore. He finished his three-year career with 115 catches for 2,243 yards (19.5 avg.) and 16 scores.

Perriman was consistently one of the best deep-threat receivers in college football during his time at UCF. He's exactly what the Ravens needed to replace the departure of Smith this offseason. 

He's also a perfect fit for the kind of receiver Baltimore needed. Perriman specializes in the deep ball, as evidenced by his 20.9 average yards per catch this past season. 

That's the kind of deep threat the Ravens lost when Smith left this offseason, Perriman should be able to come in and essentially be what Torrey was these past four seasons. 

With Baltimore not having a reliable receiver outside of Steve Smith, Perriman should play significant snaps in every game this season. It wouldn't be surprising to see him start every game as a rookie either. 

Perriman needs to work on becoming a better route-runner in the short-to-intermediate areas, but his speed and ability to stretch the field will make defenses focus on him. 

Initial Reaction to Perriman Selection

While this was a solid pick that addressed a huge hole on the roster, I don't believe this was the best pick Baltimore could have made. In fact, Perriman wasn't even the best receiver available. 

I thought Arizona State's Jaelen Strong was a better receiver. I've made the case for him to be the Ravens' first pick, as I thought he was the fourth-best receiver in this draft after Kevin White, Amari Cooper and DeVante Parker. 

There wasn't much of a difference between a guy like Perriman, whose specialty is speed and getting deep, and a guy like Auburn's Sammie Coates, who they may have gotten in Round 3. 

The difference between Perriman and receivers Baltimore could have gotten later in the draft wasn't that much. 

Still, this was a good pick for Baltimore, who had to get a receiver early in this draft. Expect Perriman to start from Day 1 and put up big numbers as a rookie.