From the moment I first observed Rashod Bateman on the practice field in 2021, it was hard not to be impressed. He ran razor sharp routes; accelerated out of breaks to create separation; possessed a level of suddenness that left defenders a bit unsure; and when the ball hit Bateman’s hands – the sound was like that of a basketball plunging through the nylon chords attached to the rim, only the net had no opening. “Maybe”, I thought, “the Ravens got it right with Bateman”.
But then injuries got in the way. The time and work invested to develop chemistry with Lamar Jackson was derailed.