The immensely talented 2014 Baltimore Ravens draft class has already produced great returns, and many of the picks remain promising unknowns. Among those: Michael Campanaro, who impressed every time he was on the field. The problem was he just wasn’t on the field that often.
So what do we make of him?
The talent is readily apparent, especially Campanaro’s brilliant short area quickness. He doesn’t take long to accelerate, and his lateral agility is tremendous.
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That is most apparent on punt returns, where Camp is a coach’s dream. One cut and go, that seems to be Campanaro’s strategy. It’s effective. Camp excels at making the first guy miss, a must for punt returners, and then getting up field in a hurry. Jacoby Jones is the gamebreaker, while Campanaro is the more steady option.
In the receiving game, Camp’s short area quickness stood out, albeit without the defense paying much attention to him.
On one 19-yard gain against the Cincinnati Bengals, Campanaro ran what appeared to be a post. Ideally, a receiver would get an inside release on a post, but Campanaro went to the outside, not ideal.
From All-22 film on NFL Rewind
Notice how Campanaro was on the outside of his defender when looking to cut in. Making an inside cut from that positioning is very difficult.
From All-22 on NFL Rewind
Campanaro pulled it off, though, generating enough separation to make the big gain. That requires some serious acceleration, though an inside release would probably be an easier way to get open. Despite what seems to be a mistake in route running, this play shows Campanaro’s great acceleration.
By the end of the season, the Ravens were starting to realize what they had in Campanaro after the catch, as they started to draw up some plays to get him the ball in space.
In the second Cleveland game, the Ravens ran this neat little screen/rub play, with Torrey Smith and Owen Daniels running out routes to create space for Campanaro, who ran toward the ball parallel to the line of scrimmage.
From All-22 on NFL Rewind
This nifty play got Campanaro the ball with some space to work. He proceeded to shed two tacklers and gain 17 yards, justifying the opportunity Gary Kubiak gave him.
Marc Trestman would be wise to use more plays like that to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers. Aside from a pissed off Steve Smith (which happened in a handful of games this year), Campanaro is probably the Ravens’ best receiver after the catch. Get him the ball in high percentage plays, and watch Campanaro gain some yards as Joe Flacco gets into a rhythm.
With great quickness and reliable hands, Campanaro has the skillset to be the slot receiver of the future in Baltimore. He would be the first truly reliable slot receiver Joe Flacco has ever had to work with if he pans out.
The biggest question mark with Campanaro isn’t his skill set, though. It’s his injury history. Camp played in just four regular season games (and two playoff games), fighting an injured hamstring for much of the year.
With just seven career receptions and an extensive injury history, Michael Campanaro is among the biggest unknowns on the Ravens, yet he is also one of the most promising unknowns.
Campanaro could catch 40-50 balls next year and emerge as a great weapon, or he could barely play at all. One thing I can confidently predict: If Camp gets on the field, he will find a way to contribute.
Shawn began his writing career with Bleacher Report as a Ravens featured columnist and Breaking News Team writer. He moved on to write for Yahoo! and work on the Ravens Central Radio podcast. Most recently, he was an Editor at the Baltimore Wire. Shawn is a 2013 graduate of the Catholic University of America.