The Ravens won't have an elite passing offense, and they might not have many big-time receivers. Too many different pass catchers figure to be involved. But one of the more appealing looks to be Dennis Pitta.
As Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun writes, the Ravens will use Pitta all over the offensive formation. He'll line up as an extra wide receiver, out of the backfield, and as a traditional in-line tight end.
New coordinator Gary Kubiak will use sets with multiple tight ends, and of course the Ravens have another talented veteran at the position in former Texan Owen Daniels. But Daniels has an injury history, and the team's other new tight end, third-rounder Crockett Gillmore, is a blocker first, by his own admission.
Pitta missed most of last season due to injury, but when he returned he caught 20 passes in the final four games.
The fourth round, incidentally, has been pretty good to the tight end position over the past decade. There have been 23 tight ends selected in that round since 2004, and nearly a third of them (7) have emerged as quality receivers: Pitta, Daniels, Jordan Cameron, Julius Thomas, Aaron Hernandez, Jacob Tamme and Scott Chandler. Several others can reasonably be viewed as good sleepers in 2014: Garrett Graham in Houston, Ladarius Green in San Diego and Levine Toilolo in Atlanta.
| FOURTH-ROUND TEs, 2004-2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Rd | Pk | Player |
| 2013 | 4 | 106 | Dion Sims |
| 2013 | 4 | 133 | Levine Toilolo |
| 2012 | 4 | 127 | Adrien Robinson |
| 2012 | 4 | 116 | Orson Charles |
| 2012 | 4 | 110 | Ladarius Green |
| 2012 | 4 | 111 | Evan Rodriguez |
| 2011 | 4 | 102 | Jordan Cameron |
| 2011 | 4 | 129 | Julius Thomas |
| 2011 | 4 | 104 | Luke Stocker |
| 2010 | 4 | 114 | Dennis Pitta |
| 2010 | 4 | 113 | Aaron Hernandez |
| 2010 | 4 | 125 | Clay Harbor |
| 2010 | 4 | 118 | Garrett Graham |
| 2009 | 4 | 122 | Anthony Hill |
| 2009 | 4 | 121 | Shawn Nelson |
| 2008 | 4 | 127 | Jacob Tamme |
| 2008 | 4 | 132 | Derek Fine |
| 2008 | 4 | 111 | Martin Rucker |
| 2007 | 4 | 129 | Scott Chandler |
| 2007 | 4 | 133 | Martrez Milner |
| 2006 | 4 | 98 | Owen Daniels |
| 2006 | 4 | 106 | Garrett Mills |
| 2004 | 4 | 109 | Tim Euhus |
--Andy Richardson