Rashod Bateman

Bateman arrived in Baltimore as the 27th overall pick in 2021 — the first Golden Gopher drafted in the first round since 2006 — but his career has been defined as much by injury as production. He missed the first five games of his rookie year following abdominal surgery, then lost the final 11 weeks of 2022 to a Lisfranc injury in his foot. He broke through in 2024 with 45 catches, 756 yards, and nine touchdowns, then followed it with the worst statistical season of his career in 2025: 19 catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns across 13 games, a stretch GM Eric DeCosta publicly called a "lost season."

Bateman has talked openly this offseason about how Doyle's scheme is using him differently than any offense he's played in before. "I'm moving around all over the place. I feel like in the past I've been kind of a one-dimensional receiver," Bateman said during camp. "I'm moving around a lot — I'm in the slot, as well as outside. I think that's a blessing for me." He's also been direct about what he thinks he still has to prove: he told Ravens.com he "hasn't even scratched the surface." Baltimore Sports Feed covered his full outlook heading into 2026, including his own bid to reestablish himself in an increasingly crowded receiver room.

Bateman's 2019 season at Minnesota remains the standard he's chasing in the pros: 60 catches, 1,219 yards, and 11 touchdowns, earning Big Ten Receiver of the Year and First-Team All-Big Ten honors. His pro day numbers — a 4.41 40-yard dash and a 36-inch vertical — backed up the tape, and he became the first Golden Gopher drafted in the first round since Laurence Maroney in 2006.