Where Does Lamar Jackson Rank Among Best Quarterback Draft Values of the Millennium?
When the Ravens traded back into the first round in 2018 to select Lamar Jackson with the 32nd overall pick, it was one of the most impactful decisions in franchise history.
The bold move proved to be a steal of epic proportions, as Baltimore landed a generational talent at the sport's most important position.
NFL.com’s Eric Edholm put Jackson at No. 3 in his rankings of the top quarterback draft values of the millennium.
"The 2018 draft class was notable for its five first-round quarterbacks, four of whom are still starting in the league now," Edholm wrote. "Josh Allen is the only one, though, who can boast a career similar to that of Jackson, selected 25 picks after Allen went to the Bills at No. 7 overall.
"The Ravens watched as the first four were all drafted in the top 10 (including Josh Rosen, who went 10th overall to the Cardinals and proceeded to log 21 interceptions, including five pick-sixes, in 513 career passes) then traded up 20 spots from mid-Round 2 to the final pick of the first round to take Jackson. It has unquestionably been one of the best picks of the Ravens' strong drafting history, and that it came in GM Ozzie Newsome's final draft added another feather to his Hall of Fame cap."
The No. 1 spot in the rankings went to Tom Brady, who the New England Patriots selected in the sixth round (No. 199 overall) in 2000. Aaron Rodgers, who the Green Bay Packers selected in the first round (No. 24 overall) in 2005, was No. 2.
Pundit Identifies One Final Offseason Move for Ravens
The Ravens have had an outstanding offseason, from re-signing left tackle Ronnie Stanley, to adding decorated veterans such as cornerback Jaire Alexander and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, to extending key players in running back Derrick Henry and wide receiver Rashod Bateman, to assembling a highly regarded draft class led by first-round safety Malaki Starks and second-round edge rusher Mike Green.
However, there's always more work to be done. ESPN’s Aaron Schatz identified one final offseason move for each team. For the Ravens, it's extending Jackson.
"Extension talks with Jackson are in an 'introductory stage,' according to General Manager Eric DeCosta," Schatz wrote. "Jackson is signed through 2027, but the two-time MVP is now 10th among quarterbacks in average annual salary. An extension would make him happy and open up a ton of salary cap space for the Ravens to use in 2026 and 2027. (Jackson is set to have a cap number of over $74 million next season.)"
Ex-Steeler Joey Porter Sr. Recalls His Welcome to the NFL Moment Going Against Jonathan Ogden
Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter Sr. was a notorious trash-talker and one of the central figures in the heated Raven-Steelers rivalry in the early to mid-2000s.
A brash rookie in 1999, Porter learned the hard way that there was one Ravens player in particular that he shouldn't have mouthed off to: Hall of Fame offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden.
"My welcome to the NFL moment was me running my mouth against Jonathan Ogden," Porter said recently on “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward.” "Just me being me. I'm a rookie. We're playing Baltimore in Baltimore, like Week 2 or Week 3. ... So I'm looking at him. I'm looking at how big his shoes is. And I'm feeling good about myself. I'm like, 'This dude got on some size 18 [cleats]. There's no way he's going to be able to kick back that fast and block me.' I mean, he's 6-8, 370 or something. He looked real, real big, like a real=-life ogre. There's no way I can't run around him. I'm like, 'This dude is cooked.' So I'm talking. I didn't know I was going against Kung Fu Panda.
"He looks over his shoulder to see who's talking, and he just hits me with a (nod) and went back to the huddle. And I'm over there digging in. I got wider. I said, 'Yeah, I'm getting all the way out here. I'm going to bring his ass out here to the HOV lane. This is the fast track.'"
Porter's ego – as well as his body – was dealt a massive blow.
"I got out, I'm coming around, I'm thinking I'm low and dipped. Man, he pushed me down and splashed me," Porter said. "All my weight in my heart just left. I just watched it leave to the sideline, and I followed it to the sideline, because I had to come out of the game. He splashed me.
"With Ogden I said, 'OK, I ain't there yet to be talking [crap] to him.' I knew that right away."
Kyle Hamilton Is Just Outside Top 10 in Top 25 Players 25-and-Under
Safety Kyle Hamilton is already a two-time All-Pro and one of the leaders of a talented Ravens defense after just three seasons.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin placed the 24-year-old Hamilton at No. 11 in his rankings of the top 25 players 25-and-under.
"It's almost unbelievable now that Hamilton started just four games as a rookie, because the last two seasons, he's been all over the ball at every level of the field for the Ravens," Benjamin wrote. "Need a timely sack? He can do it. Need a critical pass breakup? He's there. The Notre Dame product all but sets the standard for do-it-all safety play."
Hamilton was No. 14 in last year's rankings.
