Is Marquise Brown Ready for a Giant Leap in Year Two?
Lamar Jackson’s most productive receiver during his MVP season in 2019 was second-year tight end Mark Andrews. While a damn good player after two seasons, Andrews was the sole receiving threat on that 2019 squad, something that’s been brought up to death in Patrick Mahomes vs. Lamar debates.
That’s not to say there aren’t players with potential on that side of the ball though. One such player is Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, entering his second season in the league. The first-round receiver was insanely electric at Oklahoma, with generational speed that made him the deadliest player in open space at the time. In Baltimore, however, it’s not been off to a great start.
In his rookie season, Brown caught 46 passes for just 584 yards, but added seven touchdowns to the mix as well. His production was not a product of an overall lack of talent, as he was playing his entire first year in the NFL on a handicap. Although he caught four passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns on 14 snaps in his first career game against the Dolphins, he was recovering from a Lisfranc injury he suffered before the 2019 Draft, which had a large impact on his consistency and overall usage.
This didn’t matter as much as it could’ve because Jackson was destroying offenses in the air and on the ground to historic effect, but it makes me wonder how much further that offense could push itself with a fully healthy Hollywood. When you combine a game-changing quarterback with a game-changing wide receiver, chances are you’re gonna lead a Super Bowl-caliber offense. Regardless of if the Ravens were a Super Bowl-caliber team last year (they were, but Tennessee had other plans), they should be even better with the additions they made in the off-season plus the improved conditions on the receiving side of things.
Because of the recovery from the Lisfranc injury, Brown’s rookie season could not compare to DK Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, AJ Brown, Deebo Samuel, or Darius Slayton, among others. However, I’d argue his ceiling is the highest of any receiver from his class, which, as you probably guessed, can lend itself quite useful if you happen to run a dynasty team.
So, to back up why I think Brown is ready for a giant leap in year two, let’s take a look at what he’s already done well up to this point.
Brown’s speed needs no introduction, but I’ll talk about it anyway since it’s the primary reason why the first two catches of his career both resulted in touchdowns. (yes he was playing against the supposedly tanking Dolphins, but considering this was the first game of his career, and one where he was recovering from a significant injury, it was an extremely impressive debut)
Brown never had a chance to execute a 40-time at the NFL combine, but rest assured; he’s fast. This is the kind of ankle-breaking speed you can only get from a player of DeSean Jackson’s quality, and notice once he’s in the open field no defender stands a chance in catching up to him.
Unlike certain receivers who have the speed but none of the ability to separate without being schemed open, Brown doesn’t need much to get open himself. Take this play for instance; With a quick hip turn he’s able to bump his way past a one-man brigade and create enough of a cushion inside the hashes for Jackson to airmail this pass into his breadbasket perfectly.
This was what I thought was going to be the foundation of the Ravens offense in 2019, but instead Jackson, Mark Ingram, and Gus Edwards headlined it behind Greg Roman’s scheme. This could be the foundation of the Ravens offense in 2020 if they’re forced to pass more (though you can never tell with a quarterback who can pass and run at a high level so early in his career).
Brown showed flashes of separation for the rest of 2019, but never had the high mark in the regular season that he showed off in week one. But even with recovery stalling his progress in the pros, he’s shown a basic understanding of fundamentals (such as this little wiggle move and head fake at the top of his slant route) that dynasty owners should be confident in him racking up numbers once he comes back to the field restored.
This catch doesn’t seem that impressive upon casual glance, but looking closely at Brown’s movement it would appear that he was running toward the corner of the end zone. He and Jackson apparently weren’t on the same page, so Jackson led him more to the middle left just avoiding the out of bounds mark in the back of the end zone. This is important because Brown is able to adjust and drag two feet in bounds without losing traction or balance, quietly making this one of the more impressive plays of his rookie season.
Though some of it came because the Ravens were trailing for all of the Divisional Round game, Brown showed off his magic by the tune of seven receptions for 126 yards in his first postseason action. The season’s end was obviously a crushing disappointment for the league’s best regular-season team, but Brown’s performance in this game could be the gateway between the run-heavy sensation of the 2019 Ravens and possibly an offense that lights it up even further in the air in the future.
Marquise Brown is more than talented enough to make a giant impact in year two, it all just depends on if his legs will let him. He’s a special player with the kind of game-breaking speed you should only be able to see once and one time only, and he just so happens to play with the reigning MVP and one of the league’s best head coaches in John Harbaugh.
I’d invest highly in Brown (mid-round, anyway), even if the production in his rookie season says otherwise. The sky’s the limit for a healthy Hollywood, which spells trouble for the rest of the NFL if Jackson can continue to shred defenses to the dirt.
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