Justin

Harper

A seventh-round pick of the Ravens in 2008, Harper went unclaimed after being waived in August. He’s appeared in just two career games. He’s unlikely to ever make it three.

Yet another Ravens “size receiver”, Harper beat rookie Lardarius Webb for a 99-yard TD during Wednesday’s practice. Baltimore needs all the pass catching help it can get, so there will be no shortage of opportunity for Harper.

That means Smith is ahead of Justin Harper, Kelley Washington, and Yamon Figurs, although the Ravens don’t go three wide often. OC Cam Cameron likes Smith’s size, but the ’08 fourth-rounder didn’t catch a pass as a rookie.

Harper has a nice blend of size, speed and playmaking ability. He was raw coming out of Virginia Tech after playing alongside NFL starters Eddie Royal and Josh Morgan, but it sounds like he’s making tangible progress. He’s worth keeping an eye on with the Ravens receiver situation in flux.

Harper’s “routinely” got behind Baltimore’s secondary, which might be the fastest in the league. With Mark Clayton (hamstring) out and Derrick Mason unlikely to play much, Harper will get a ton of action in the preseason opener.

Harper had a case of the dropsies at camp. This is a sign the Ravens are in the market for a veteran wide receiver that may come available today.

Harper has the most potential to contribute right away from this group. Gerard had a fine camp, but was stuck in a numbers game. Mattison is Greg’s son.

This indicates Demetrius Williams is locked into the No. 3 job, regardless of how injury prone he’s been. Harper has made some big plays in practice, but also dropped his share of passes. He’s not threatening Williams.

Harper is routinely productive in preseason games and looks the part of a future starter, but has serious consistency issues on the practice field. That won’t endear him to the coaches, and he remains a fifth receiver at best.

Smith is set to undergo surgery with Dr. James Andrews, and the Ravens’ receiver corps grows even thinner. Coaches praised Smith’s work ethic all offseason, but he had to stand out in camp. Deep Dynasty leaguers can cut bait on Smith as Justin Harper moves into the No. 4 receiver role, with Kelley Washington hot on his heels.