Baltimore Ravens: Kamar Aiken a Week 1 starter?

By Nick Ziegler | Jul 29, 2015

Like many teams in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens will have their share of camp battles for roster positions and also starting spots.

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One of the most notable offseason losses for the Ravens was the departure of wide receiver Torrey Smith to the San Francisco 49ers. Smith was very productive in his first four seasons in the Baltimore, and was part of their Super Bowl winning team. In four seasons, Smith totaled 213 receptions, 3,591 receiving yards, and 30 receiving touchdowns.

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With the strong arm of Joe Flacco, Smith became one of the best deep threats in football, and in 2015 will be looking to be a main target for Colin Kaepernick.

The departure of Smith led to the Ravens using a first-round pick on a wide receiver. With the 26^th overall pick, the Ravens drafted Breshad Perriman from UCF. Perriman has a lot of size and strength for a wide receiver at 6’2”, 215lbs.

Like Smith, Perriman was a big play threat in college, which obviously drew the attention of the Ravens who were looking to replace a big play receiver. In three seasons at UCF, Perriman totaled 115 receptions, 2,243 receiving yards, 16 receiving touchdowns, and a fantastic 19.5 yards per reception average.

Perriman really burst on to the scene in his final season with UCF, as he totaled 50 receptions, 1,044 receiving yards, nine receiving touchdowns, and a 20.9 yards per reception average.

One of Perriman’s flaws at UCF has seemed to follow him into the NFL so far. At UCF, Perriman had a tendency to drop passes, and in the Ravens’ OTA’s that was also the case. Dropping passes in practice or games is the easiest way for a wide receiver to find his way to the bench, and there is always a player hungry to take a starting spot.

With Perriman’s struggles, wide receiver Kamar Aiken has been the one to elevate his play.

Aiken was another UCF wide receiver, but was far less accomplished in college than Perriman. Aiken signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011 with the Buffalo Bills. After a season with the Patriots as well, Aiken would join the Ravens in 2013.

In his second season in Baltimore, Aiken would finally get his first career reception, and produced a decent season. In 2014, Aiken totaled 24 receptions, 267 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns.

Aiken obviously doesn’t have the upside that Perriman has, but it is great to see the Ravens not just hand him a starting job. Competition brings out the best in people and also athletes. Aiken has been getting the first-team reps through summer activities, which could mean that there will be a training camp battle between the two.

Perriman will surely be playing a large part in the Ravens plans this year and in the future, but he is going to have to earn it through hard work this summer.

He has all the physical tools in the world, but Perriman will need to be more consistent to truly reach his potential.

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