Ravens 2023 Rookie Recap: Flowers, Mitchell Surpass Expectations

Several rookies contributed to the success of the Ravens this season while others never saw the roster.

While the Ravens' postseason run wasn't what they hoped for, the regular season was spectacular. And several players contributed to that. Quarterback Lamar Jackson was named NFL MVP for the second time in his career for his efforts as Baltimore won the North and the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC

A couple of Ravens rookies contributed as well. 

USA Today

Baltimore had six picks in last April's NFL Draft but just four made the roster. Fifth-round pick Kye Blu Kelly did not make the 53-man roster and was claimed off waivers by the Seahawks. He also did time with the Packers before landing on the Commanders roster, where he finished the season.

Seventh-round pick Andrew Vorhees spent the entire season on the Non-Football Injury list while he recovered from a torn ACL suffered at the NFL Scouting Combine last year.

The top performer of the rookie class was the Ravens' first-round pick, Zay Flowers. The former Boston College wideout was everything the team wanted him to be and more. Baltimore has seemingly struggled when it came to drafting at the wideout position, but Flowers was a home run.

Flowers broke team records in targets (108), receptions (77), receiving yards (858), while scoring six touchdowns (five receiving and one rushing), and tallied 56 rushing yards on eight carries. He matched his regular season production in the postseason with nine catches for 156 yards and a touchdown.

Third-round selection Trenton Simpson was mostly a special teams player until Week 18 when the team was resting starters. And Simpson took advantage of the moment offered to him. In 15 games he recorded 13 tackles with 10 solo and two for loss, a fumble recovery and a quarterback hit.

Lamar Jackson Has One Thing Left To Prove After Two-Time MVP Run

Fourth-round pick Tavius Robinson saw the field considerably more than Simpson and played mostly early when Odafe Oweh was injured. The edge rusher saw action in all 17 games and got the start in Week 4. Robinson totaled 26 tackles with 13 solo and two for a loss, one sack and one quarterback hit.

Sixth-round pick Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu never saw the field in his rookie season, despite making the active roster and dressing for a few games. 

Another standout rookie for the Ravens didn't arrive via the draft. Running back Keaton Mitchell shined before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 15. In five-plus games before going down, he registered at least one play of 20-plus yards in six games in a row. In only eight games the undrafted rookie tallied 396 yards and scored two touchdowns.