2014 NFL mock draft: Jace Amaro to Baltimore Ravens at No. 48

The Baltimore Ravens have made moves to upgrade their offensive skill positions this offseason, signing veteran free agent receiver Steve Smith and tight end Owen Daniels to contracts. Jason Butt of Baltimore Beatdown has taken the same approach with each of his two picks in the 2014 SB Nation NFL Writers Mock Draft.

“The Ravens have a chance to further upgrade their offense with a playmaking tight end. Jace Amaro fits in that regard. Mostly asked to be a receiver with the Red Raiders, Amaro is a strong tight end who can adequately block in the running game. He simply seems like the kind of player who projects well into Gary Kubiak’s offensive system, too. In 2013, Amaro caught 106 passes for 1,352 yards and seven touchdowns. Projected to go as high as the late first round, he’d be a steal at this point of the draft. With the possibility that Owen Daniels is on a one-year rental, the upside for Amaro is too high to pass on, especially with the No. 48 overall pick.”

If the Ravens come out of the first two rounds of the draft with a wide receiver and tight end, the immortal question of Joe Flacco’s eliteness will be answered next season. While these picks ignore any needs on defense or along the offensive line, they do give Baltimore more firepower on offense. Amaro was split out in the slot frequently at Texas Tech and is at times a glorified wide receiver. In today’s NFL, that is not a bad thing. He can be the type of receiver who goes over the middle while Torrey Smith gets vertical.