Where does Clayton belong?

Mark Clayton was the 22nd overall pick in the 2005 draft. Since day one, he has been the starter opposite veteran Derrick Mason but has never lived up to the organizations expectations. Now that the team made it a priority to acquire more talent at the receiver position, where does Clayton fit in the big picture?

In his five year NFL career, Clayton has been consistently inconsistent. He accumulated 44 catches and 471 yards during his rookie season then set career highs in receptions and receiving yards with 67 receptions and 939 receiving yards in his sophomore season. After that 2006 season, everyone expected him only to get better but his play took a turn for the worst. In his 2007 season he had to play with three different quarterbacks in the same season.

In the early part of the 2007 season, starter Steve Mcnair got injured and was replaced with underachieving first round pick Kyle Boller. A few weeks later Boller got injured and was replaced with rookie Troy Smith who withstood the test of time and lasted the final three games of that season. Each one of those quarterbacks is very different and the wide receiver core had to adapt every time there was a change at the position. Clayton finished that season with 48 receptions and 531 receiving yards.

In the first round of the 2008 draft, the Ravens selected quarterback Joe Flacco. He won the starting job and played every game of the season. This quarterback stability contributed to a small improvement of production on Clayton's part but we did not see the 1000 yard season we expected of him. He finished the season with 41 yards, 695 receiving yards and a passing touchdown.

The 2009 season was the biggest statistical disappointment of his career so far. Almost every Ravens fan remembers the infamous drop he had during the final drive versus the New England Patriots. Flacco planted the ball right in between the eight and the nine on Clayton’s jersey but it bounced off his jersey and hit the ground. Many consider this his defining moment of the season but for his defining moment I look back at his week 15 performance versus the Pittsburgh Steelers when he grabbed a season high 7 catches for 129 receiving yards. Despite having some good and bad games in 2009 he finished the 16 game season with 34 receptions and 480.

Now that you have looked back on his entire professional career, you can see that Clayton is lacking neither talent nor capability. However he has failed to consistently making positive plays on offense during his time in Baltimore. In my eyes this means he has earned a spot on the team but can no longer be a starter. The best place for Clayton on this roster is either the third or fourth receiver position. Contrary to popular belief he is capable of competing with Dante Stallworth for the primary slot receiver position. Clayton may have posted lackluster stats last season but Stallworth was not even on an NFL team last season. I will be seriously shocked if Clayton his not donning a Ravens jersey on September.