Derrick Henry, Three Former Ravens Greats Make PFF's Quarter-Century Team
Three former Ravens greats and one current Ravens star were named to the All-PFF team, which recognized the NFL's best players over the past 25 years based on Pro Football Focus' grading system.
Here's a look at the Ravens who made the exclusive list, with comments from PFF's Jonathon Macri.
RB Derrick Henry (96.8 career PFF grade)
"Henry's inclusion as the highest-graded running back in PFF history is made all the more impressive by the fact that he is still going at 31 years old and just engineered the best-graded season of his career in Year 9.
"In his first year with the Baltimore Ravens in 2024, Henry led the league in both PFF overall grade (94.1) and PFF rushing grade (93.5) for his position while posting a career-high 6.0 yards per carry on 367 attempts (including the playoffs). His 3.6 yards after contact per attempt in his career is the second-best mark of all time among 159 qualifying running backs — behind only Nick Chubb (3.8), though Henry has handled nearly double the number of carries."
RG Marshal Yanda (93.6 career PFF grade)
"Across 13 NFL seasons — all with the Baltimore Ravens — Yanda never posted a PFF blocking grade or PFF overall grade below 72.2 in a season, standing out as a poster child of high-end consistency.
"Yanda's best pass-blocking campaign came in 2016, when he allowed the lowest pressure rate in a season (1.0%) for his position (minimum 450 pass-blocking snaps) and didn't let up a single sack or quarterback hit. He stands as the only offensive guard to rank in the top five in career PFF overall grade (93.6), career PFF run-blocking grade (91.7) and career PFF pass-blocking grade (91.3) among 274 qualifying players since 2006."
LB Ray Lewis (91.8 career PFF grade)
"Lewis' career dates back further than PFF grading, beginning in 1996, though he is deserving of making the quarter-century team when projecting the start of his career — five first-team All-Pro appearances and two Defensive Player of the Year awards — to the PFF era.
"Once PFF's grading began, Lewis produced one of the best career grades for the position, ranking among the top five linebackers since 2006. His 2009 season was his best captured by PFF, as he delivered a 91.4 PFF overall grade — the top mark that year and tied for the third-best season all time for the position."
S Ed Reed (92.3 career PFF grade)
"Reed began his career before PFF grading commenced. We missed out on his 2004 Defensive Player of the Year season and two All-Pro and Pro-Bowl performances.
"In the years that followed, Reed delivered the second-highest career forced incompletion rate (19.3%) of the PFF era among 116 qualifying safeties. His 93.4 PFF coverage grade in 2009 was the third-best mark ever captured for the safety position by PFF, while his 91.8 PFF overall grade that year is tied for the fourth-best single-season mark."
Safety Eric Weddle, who played three of his 14 seasons in Baltimore, received honorable mention at safety.
Kyle Hamilton Cracks Top Three in PFF's Top 25 Players Under 25 Rankings
PFF ranked the top 25 players under 25, and safety Kyle Hamilton landed at No. 3.
"Hamilton has quickly established himself as one of the league's top safeties, finishing in the top three at his position in at least one of PFF overall grade, PFF coverage grade and PFF run-defense grade in each of his first three NFL seasons," Macri wrote. "Hamilton's versatility makes him one of the most valuable safeties in the league, and he even brings pass-rush upside, having generated 36 pressures and seven sacks in his NFL career.
The only players ranked above Hamilton were Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell (No. 1) and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (No. 2).
Hamilton, 24, was No. 5 in last year's rankings.
Pundit Predicts Ravens Will Get Over the Hump This Season
The Ravens have come up short in the postseason in recent years, but NFL Network’s Gregg Rosenthal believes they will get over the hump and win the Super Bowl this season.
"At some point, the most consistent quarterback, best quarterback of the last few years is going to get some breaks in the playoffs," Rosenthal said of Lamar Jackson. "The team around him I think has a great combination of continuity and talent. I think they're at the right spot in their development."
Rosenthal noted that the teams that eliminated the Ravens the past two seasons – the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills – remain their biggest obstacles.
"Now, it's tough because in the AFC I think you've got three super powers, and if you told me the Chiefs or the Bills are going to win the Super Bowl, that makes sense," Rosenthal said. "And so you have to get through that gauntlet. But ultimately I do think they're going to get their turn at some point, and this feels like the point it's going to happen."
The Ravens open the season at Buffalo in Week 1 on "Sunday Night Football" and play at Kansas City in Week 4. Those early-season contests could play a huge role in playoff seedings.
Ravens Named One of Two Most Vulnerable Division Champions
The Ravens are favored to win an unprecedented third consecutive AFC North title, but NFL.com columnist Judy Battista wouldn't be surprised if Baltimore is knocked off its perch in the division.
Battista put the Ravens at No. 2 in her rankings of the most vulnerable division champions.
"The Ravens have won the AFC North two seasons in a row, have a quarterback who could be the league MVP every year and have no apparent roster holes," Battista wrote. "But the Steelers and Bengals are in the division and they could threaten the Ravens if a) Aaron Rodgers decides to sign with Pittsburgh and b) Joe Burrow is in one piece and Cincinnati can finally avoid a slow start.
"Rodgers is the biggest wild card here. He showed just enough late last season with the Jets to convince the Steelers he could put them over the top, particularly with the addition of DK Metcalf to the receiver room. The Bengals' sluggish Septembers have largely been a function of Burrow injury recoveries and, in some cases, contract dilemmas that lingered into late summer. If Cincinnati can avoid those, the team has plenty of firepower to compete. It wouldn't be a surprise to see three squads from this division make the playoffs, and it wouldn't be a surprise if any one of the three wins the division."
The NFC North champion Lions were named the most vulnerable of the eight division champions.
Quick Hits
Yesterday's Most Read: After Extension, Derrick Henry Isn't Putting Limits on Ravens or His Longevity
- Bill Belichick said on “The Pivot Podcast” that he thinks Reed could have been a two-way player in the NFL.
