After being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, wide receiver Rashod Bateman has had a slow start to what many thought would be a strong professional career seeing as he was drafted to be Lamar Jackson’s next go-to wide receiver. However, through his first three seasons in the NFL (and injuries did take a toll, to be fair), he totaled just 1,167 yards, four touchdowns, and 93 receptions in 34 games played.
That’s a good SINGLE season for a wideout in the NFL. But across three separate seasons? Not so much.
In his first season after the Ravens signed All-Pro running back Derrick Henry, Batemon seemed to find his stride. During the 2024 campaign, Bateman caught 45 passes for a career-high 756 yards and nine touchdowns. His scores were good for second on the team, only behind tight end Mark Andrews who caught 11.
His most recent efforts have helped silence some doubters around the league that may have already written him off this early. But for NFL.com’s Tom Blair, he believes Batemon is now the most underappreciated player for the Ravens entering the 2025 season.
Here are all of Blair’s thoughts:
“Most NFL wide receivers are going to be kept off this list by their high Q Scores — except in Baltimore, where wideouts tend to play second, third and fourth fiddle to running backs, tight ends and, duh, Lamar Jackson. If you’re a secondary receiver, like Bateman, well, you’re gonna have to search the back room for fiddle No. 5. Bateman was drafted with a first-round pick (No. 27 overall) in 2021 but spent most of his early career on the fringes of the offensive picture, thanks in large part to injuries that cost him big chunks of Years 1 and 2. So his elevation to productive WR2 in 2024 (he posted 45 catches, 756 receiving yards and nine receiving TDs, all personal highs) counts as a true breakout. He also tallied 35 receiving first downs, marking the first time in Jackson’s career that more than two Baltimore pass-catchers posted 30 or more (Zay Flowers and Mark Andrews were the others). It is probably not a coincidence that Jackson hit new heights as a passer in 2024, performing so well that it felt like an upset when he didn’t win a second consecutive MVP. The signing of DeAndre Hopkins might suppress Bateman’s numbers a bit in 2025; then again, the addition of a more famous name to the position group chart only solidifies Bateman’s spot here.”
