The 2021 NFL Draft came and went- at least the first round did. After having a virtual draft in 2020 due to COVID-19, the fans were back, the analysts were back, and the excitement was once again back in full force. For the Baltimore Ravens, they snagged Minnesota wide receiver Rashod Bateman with the No. 27 pick in the first round to give Lamar Jackson a true number one wideout for that Baltimore offense.

https://twitter.com/R_bateman2/status/1387975581845819396?s=20

Something that Baltimore has needed for a while and has finally come to fruition. The Ravens get a true number one wide receiver, and Jackson must be thrilled. So here are the three early predictions for Bateman as he heads to Baltimore and they look to make some noise again in the AFC North.

3. Rashod Bateman Tops 1,000 Yards

This seems like such an easy choice, right? After a passing corps that featured Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Willie Snead, not to mention un-retired Dez Bryant, the Ravens need a guy like Bateman. Mark Andres is a legitimate threat at tight end, but besides him, the Ravens' offense is extremely run-heavy.

These issues were prevalent in their playoff loss in the past two seasons as they were unable to push the ball downfield. While Jackson took a lot of the blame, his options on the receiving game were limited. Bateman enters and immediately becomes Lamar's favorite target and blows past the 1,000-yard mark, especially if he continues to make highlight-reel catches like this one.

2. Rashod Bateman Wins Offensive Rookie of the Year

But, what about Trevor Lawrence? Yeah, Lawrence seems like the surefire pick. However, Justin Jefferson came extremely close to winning the award over Justin Herbert. Bateman should post some insane numbers as Lamar's favorite target on a team that could put up a ton of points with JK Dobbins Gus Edwards, and the aforementioned passing game.

There's a good chance that Bateman can be top-10 in receiving yards and touchdowns, especially considering the fact that the Ravens will have no other choice but to utilize him. They added Sammy Watkins in the offseason, but unless Watkins can stay healthy, he shouldn't interfere with Bateman's usage.

1. Rashod Bateman Scores 12 Touchdowns on 100+ Catches

For a rookie? Bateman is that good and that dangerous. He can do it all. He can run short routes, deep routes, and make defenders miss in the open field and one-on-one coverage. He could run screen passes, end around, and can catch basically anything thrown his way.

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Rashod Bateman on one side with a speech bubble that says "I'm staying!", Lamar Jackson on the other side with hearts in his eyes

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Again, with the issues surrounding the Ravens passing game, he should easily eclipse 100 receptions and should score at least 12 touchdowns on the year. That's a little less than one a game, and while he could start slow, there's going to be days where he torches defenses for huge plays of 50 or 60 yards and multiple touchdowns, similar to what Tyreek Hill does in Kansas City.

For the Ravens, Bateman fell right to them and they wasted no time taking him in what turned out to be one of the easiest selections of the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

With the exception of Ja'Marr Chase, Bateman could end up being the best receiver in the class especially during his rookie season.