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Thinning numbers at receiver

With Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams sidelined, the Ravens have had to dig deeper into their receiving corps.

In Saturday's morning practice, Yamon Figurs ran with Derrick Mason with the first-team offense, and Marcus Smith came in as the No. 3 receiver.

Clayton (sprained shoulder) and Williams (lower leg injury) are both expected to return (and Clayton wants to play in the preseason opener), but it's interesting to see the Ravens' current pecking order.

Figurs had trouble last season just catching punts and kickoffs, so it could be a risk putting him at receiver. But Figurs, who is the fastest player on the team, showed more reliable hands in today's practice.

Smith, a rookie fourth-round pick, has been one of the more pleasant surprises of what could be a strong draft class.

Posted by Jamison Hensley on August 2, 2008 12:00 PM | Permalink

Comments

I'm excited about Smith.

Posted by: Stevers | August 2, 2008 4:00 PM

Marcus Smith is a good, tough young man who has been forced to grow up a bit early due to the difficult life he's had, with his brother in jail (getting out next spring) and single mom. Check out MY interview w/ Marcus at www.BaltimoreBeatdown.com, as well as my interview w/ rookie safety Haruki Nakamura.

Posted by: Rexx | August 3, 2008 10:30 AM

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About the bloggers

Mike Preston has been with The Baltimore Sun since 1983. Prior to becoming a columnist in 2000, he covered the Ravens for four years. Preston will appear every Monday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Fox Sports Radio (1370-AM) to answer any questions about the Ravens. Preston is a native of Essex and a graduate of Towson State University, where he played football. E-mail Mike.

Jamison Hensley has been The Baltimore Sun’s Ravens beat reporter since the 2000 Super Bowl season. He is a regular contributor to WBAL radio and ESPN2’s First Take. Hensley is a Baltimore City native and a graduate of the University of Maryland.