Ravens WR Steve L Smith was one of the few offensive starters who showed up for OTA practice on Wednesday and he still looks sharp. He still runs crisp routes.
"Age comes, but football conditioning and routes and all that stuff, that doesn't change with age," Smith said. "Obviously, you probably have to start a little bit earlier. But yes, I'm 36 and I remember last year when I signed here [the media was not] expecting anything from a 35-year-old. Now, [the media] has to pick on me because I'm 36. I'm just going to play football and practice. I think I look halfway decent.
"I think there are teams that probably [are] drafting wide receivers hoping that they can get a guy fresh out of a college [who is] able to put up 1,000 yards [like] I did at 35, [and] they’re hoping a 20-something-year-old kid can do [it too]. I think age is a number, and you either show your age and that number over time … But right now, I feel good, and I’m playing well, so I think 36 is good.”
Smith was the #20 WR in standard formats and #18 in PPR, but he did most of his damage in the first six weeks of the season when he was #3 and #4, respectively. He was a fantasy WR4 the rest of the way, though he did have his moments. The Ravens can’t afford to put Smith out to pasture because they let Torrey Smith walk in free agency and the team’s receiver corps is severely lacking experience. Smith has some upside given his ADP (8th/9th round) and the arrival of pass-happy OC Marc Trestman, who should be able to figure out how to best utilize Smith’s skill set.
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