James Proche gets rave reviews as ESPN talks Baltimore Ravens' schedule
James Proche caught more than 300 passes during his time at SMU. One ESPN analyst believes that can be an advantage for him with the Baltimore Ravens.
ESPN used Thursday night to break down the released 2020 football schedules for NFL teams, and analyst Ryan Clark spoke highly about the new talent with the Baltimore Ravens -- wide receiver James Proche being among them.
Clark called Proche a "late draft pick who I really liked" and spoke about how his record-breaking career at SMU could play a role in him being a factor in the Ravens' success. A sixth-round draft pick, Proche had 301 career catches and scored 39 touchdowns for the Mustangs.
"The guy had over 300 receptions at SMU," Clark said of Proche. "[Pittsburgh Steelers] Coach [Mike] Tomlin always spoke to me about drafting wide receivers. He said he loves guys who caught a ton of footballs in college because they won't be scared of the moment.
"They will understand how to make those plays, and I think that can be a huge help for Lamar Jackson."
The opportunity to make plays for Jackson and the Ravens is all Proche wanted once he got the call from the Ravens representatives. He made plenty of plays for the Mustangs and had a monster senior season where he led the NCAA in receptions. He finished with 111 catches for 1,225 yards and 15 games in 13 games played.
LSU's Justin Jefferson also had 111 catches for the 2019 season, but it took him 15 games -- including the SEC Championship and the College Football Playoff semifinal and championship game -- to earn all of his catches.
In addition to discussing Proche, Clark spoke highly of other Ravens' draft picks, which includes a bunch of players with Texas ties. Among them are Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins, Texas A&M defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, Texas wide receiver Devin Duvernay and Texas Tech defensive tackle Broderick Washington.
"I expect them to be better all-around," Clark said of Baltimore. "I believe they will be more competitive, more complete and more readily able to compete in the playoffs because of the some of the pieces they added."