# Zay Flowers

Xavien "Zay" Kevonn Flowers (born September 11, 2000) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College and was selected by the Ravens in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.

## Early life

Flowers was born to Willie Flowers and Jackie Walden on September 11, 2000. When Flowers was five years old, his mother died from a head injury. The 11th of 14 children, Flowers grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and attended NSU University School. While Flowers was in high school, his brother, Martin, was murdered. As a junior, he caught 48 passes for 631 yards and 10 touchdowns. While at NSU, Flowers played wide receiver and cornerback, helping the team to back to back state semifinal appearances. As a 3-star prospect, he ranked as the nation's 135th receiver recruit and committed to play college football at Boston College.

## College career

As a true freshman, Flowers caught 22 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns. After Boston College closed their campus in March 2020 due to COVID-19, he returned to Florida and worked out on occasion with NFL players Antonio Brown and Geno Smith. Flowers became the second wide receiver in school history to be named first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference after finishing his sophomore season with 56 receptions for 892 yards and nine touchdowns. He was named third-team All-ACC after catching 44 passes for 746 yards and five touchdowns. During his career at Boston College, Flowers broke numerous records, including first in career touchdowns, receptions, and receiving yards. On December 1, 2022, Flowers declared for the 2023 NFL draft.
College statistics :
| Season | Games | Games | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing |
| Season | GP | GS | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Att | Yards | Avg | TD |
| 2019 | 13 | 13 | 22 | 341 | 15.5 | 3 | 27 | 195 | 7.2 | 1 |
| 2020 | 11 | 11 | 56 | 892 | 15.9 | 9 | 11 | 41 | 3.7 | 1 |
| 2021 | 12 | 12 | 44 | 746 | 17.0 | 5 | 7 | 69 | 9.9 | 0 |
| 2022 | 12 | 12 | 78 | 1,077 | 13.8 | 12 | 12 | 40 | 3.3 | 0 |
| Career | 48 | 48 | 200 | 3,056 | 15.3 | 29 | 57 | 345 | 6.1 | 2 |

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump |
| 5 ft 9+1⁄4 in (1.76 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | 29+1⁄4 in (0.74 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 4.42 s | 1.53 s | 2.53 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) | 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) |
| All values from the NFL Combine |||||||||

### Baltimore Ravens
#### 2023

Flowers was selected by the Baltimore Ravens as the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. On June 15, Flowers signed a 4-year, $14 million fully guaranteed rookie contract. In Week 1 against the Houston Texans, he led the team with nine catches for 78 yards in 25–9 win. He also had two carries for nine yards. In Week 6, in the game in London, Flowers scored his first NFL touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in the Ravens' 24–16 victory. In Week 12, Flowers scored two touchdowns, a 3-yard reception and 37-yard run, in the Ravens' 20–10 win against the Los Angeles Chargers. He finished the game with 62 total yards. In Week 17, after scoring a 75-yard touchdown against the Miami Dolphins, Flowers set a Ravens franchise record for most receptions (77) and receiving yards (858) by a rookie.
In the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Flowers fumbled at the goal line and the Chiefs recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchback. This occurred after getting a 15-yard taunting penalty earlier in the drive. Flowers finished the game with five receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown as the Ravens lost 10–17.

#### 2024

In Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Flowers had 7 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown in the 26–23 loss. In Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Flowers led the Ravens with 7 catches for 111 yards in the 41–38 comeback overtime win. It was his first 100-yard game of the season and the second of his career. The following week against the Washington Commanders, Flowers exploded for career-highs of 132 receiving yards on 9 catches, all of them in the first half as the Ravens won 30–23. This marked the first time Flowers has exceeded the 100-yard mark in back-to-back games. In Week 8 against the Cleveland Browns, Flowers recorded his third 100-yard game when he caught 7 passes for 115 yards in the 24–29 upset loss. The following game against the Denver Broncos, Flowers recorded five catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns including a touchdown that went for 53 yards in the Ravens' 41–10 blowout win.
In Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Flowers had 5 catches for 100 yards as the Ravens would go on to beat the Steelers 34–17. In the fourth quarter, Flowers caught a 49-yard reception, moving him past 1000 receiving yards for the season. On January 2, 2025, it was announced that Flowers was selected to his first Pro Bowl, becoming the first wide receiver to be selected to a Pro Bowl as a wide receiver in the Ravens' franchise history. Prior to this, other Ravens receivers had been selected as return specialists.

## NFL career statistics

Legend :
| Bold | Career high |

### Regular season

| Year | Team | Games | Games | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Fumbles | Fumbles |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost |
| 2023 | BAL | 16 | 16 | 77 | 858 | 11.1 | 75T | 5 | 8 | 56 | 7.0 | 37T | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | BAL | 17 | 15 | 74 | 1,059 | 14.3 | 53 | 4 | 9 | 56 | 6.2 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | Career | 33 | 31 | 151 | 1,917 | 12.7 | 75 | 9 | 17 | 112 | 6.6 | 37 | 1 | 0 | 0 |

### Postseason

| Year | Team | Games | Games | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Fumbles | Fumbles |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost |
| 2023 | BAL | 2 | 2 | 9 | 156 | 17.3 | 54 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | BAL | 0 | 0 | did not play due to injury | did not play due to injury | did not play due to injury | did not play due to injury | did not play due to injury | did not play due to injury | did not play due to injury | did not play due to injury | did not play due to injury | did not play due to injury | did not play due to injury | did not play due to injury |
| Career | Career | 2 | 2 | 9 | 156 | 17.3 | 54 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |

### Ravens franchise records

* Most receiving yards by a wide receiver in rookie season: 858 (2023)
* Most receptions by a wide receiver in rookie season: 77 (2023)