Marquise Brown is a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens, who was drafted in 2019 with the No. 25 overall pick. Brown played at Chaminade-Madonna HS in Hollywood, Florida and did not receive any Division 1 offers out of high school. After one year at College of the Canyons, Brown transferred to Oklahoma, where he caught passes from Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. As a premier deep threat, he averaged 19.2 and 17.6 yards per reception his two years at Oklahoma. His college stats totalled 2,413 yards and 17 touchdowns in two seasons. Measuring in at 5’9” and 166 lbs did not stop the Ravens from making him the first wide receiver selected in the 2019 NFL Draft. His game-breaking speed was on display at his pro day, where he ran a 4.27 40-yard dash.
Over the course of his three years with the Ravens, Marquise Brown has seen a steady uptick in usage each season. His rapport with Lamar Jackson has clearly been developing and he’s fresh off of his first top-24 fantasy season in his third year. In chronological order, his targets have gone from 71 to 100 to 145, his air yards have gone from 841 to 1298 to 1518, and his PPR points have gone from 10.5 to 11.4 to 14.1. His target share reached 26.7% in 2021, which ranked #12 among WRs. Additionally, his last two seasons have been top-10 in deep targets, with 25 in 2020 and 27 in 2021. With 6 drops in 2020 and 7 drops in 2021, there is room for growth in his game.
As a first round pick, Brown’s contract includes a fifth-year team option for 2023 after the 2022 season. Despite rewarding drafters with a WR23 finish in 2021, questions remain about Brown’s role in an offense that features Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman, as well as Baltimore’s commitment to passing the ball. Brown currently sits at a 62.4 ADP for early 2022 Underdog best ball drafts.
