Category: Listicles

Five most memorable NFL Drafts in Ravens franchise history

Ravens have a very rich history when it comes to getting it right on draft night, and we’re revisiting it here. 

The Motor City is ready to rock on Thursday night, as the 2024 NFL Draft will soon be upon us. You have likely seen the very awkward promos that pair Detroiter and Rap Superstar Eminem with Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Hopefully for the Baltimore Ravens, their first round pick, at #30, turns out a lot better than those series of advertisements did. The Ravens have a very rich history when it comes to getting it right on draft night, and we’re revisiting it here.

1996- Putting Your Best Foot Forward

Talking about “leading with strength!” The very first draft pick in Ravens history was made here at #4, in the form of Jonathan Ogden, OT, UCLA. He went on to be enshrined in Canton, and was named the 72nd greatest player in NFL history by NFL Network in 2010. The Ravens then drafted Ray Lewis at #26 out of Miami, and he also made the Hall of Fame.

Lewis is #18 on that aforementioned NFL 100 list, with only two linebackers (Lawrence Taylor #3 and Dick Butkus #10) ranking higher.

2011- Time Runs Out

It’s very rare, but it does happen- sometimes the team “on the clock” sees its time expire before making their pick. The Ravens had been working on a trade, but it didn’t materialize in time to make the pick and their 26th overall instead went to the Kansas City Chiefs.

At least the Ravens made their selection almost immediately after, now 27th on the board, in the form of Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith. The Minnesota Vikings made this same mistake in 2003. Both of these purple clad franchises can forever relate to the timeless lyrics of Culture Club: “Oh, in time, it could have been so much more. The time is precious I know.”

2018- The Franchise

When most face of the franchise, superstar quarterbacks get drafted, it’s at or near the top of the first round. Baltimore nabbed Lamar Jackson at #32 out of Louisville, the very last pick in the first round. When you draft a two time MVP winner at this selection slot, it’s pretty safe to call it “a steal.” Four other QBs were taken ahead of Jackson that night.

2008- Super Bowl Building Block

On this draft night, the Ravens took a gamble on a FCS level prospect, selecting Delaware QB Joe Flacco with the 18th overall pick. He would go on to lead the Ravens to six playoff appearances, three AFC Championship Game appearances and the Super Bowl XLVII title; where he was named the game’s MVP.

2022- Greatest Safety Ever?

On this draft night, the Ravens landed Ed Reed at #24 out of Miami. Reed made the Pro Bowl nine times during his legendary career, and among his many accolades is the career record for interception return yardage (1,590), most career postseason interceptions (9), most seasons leading the league in interceptions (3) and the longest ever interception return for a touchdown (107 yards). Reed is #88 on the all-time NFL top 100 list.

Former Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins to sign a 1-year deal with the Chargers

Weeks after signing Gus Edwards, Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers are signing former Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins to a one-year deal

Greg Roman is getting the band back together; this time, it’ll be former Ravens central in Los Angeles, as the Chargers are signing former Baltimore and Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins.

Weeks after signing Gus Edwards to a deal, Jim Harbaugh’s new team is adding Dobbins on a one-year contract.

Dobbins was cleared for football activities in mid-March following rehab for a torn Achilles.

Since entering the NFL in 2020 as the Ravens’ second-round pick, Dobbins has averaged 5.8 yards per carry and scored 13 touchdowns.

Still, the talented running back has only appeared in 24 games since entering the NFL.

In Jim Harbaugh’s run-heavy offensive approach, Dobbins will be the lightening to Edwards’s Thunder as the Chargers work to make the offense more efficient around star quarterback Justin Herbert.

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Former Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins meeting with Chiefs on a free agent visit

The Kansas City Chiefs are hosting former Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins on a free agent visit

The Chiefs have Isaiah Pacheco and could be looking to add even more explosive prowess to the running game.

Adam Schefter reports that former Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins is in Kansas City to visit the Super Bowl champions.

Dobbins recently received clearance to begin football-related activities following rehab for a torn Achilles, and is coming off a visit to the Los Angeles Chargers.

When healthy, Dobbins is a dynamic running back. Since entering the NFL in 2020 as a second-round pick by the Ravens, he has averaged 5.8 yards per carry and scored 13 touchdowns, but he has only appeared in 24 games in that time span.

Reuniting with former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman could be the most sensible landing spot for Dobbins in Harbaugh’s run-heavy offensive approach.

Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins meets with Chargers on a free agent visit

Weeks after signing Gus Edwards to a deal, Jim Harbaugh’s new team hosted running back J.K. Dobbins on a free agent visit Thursday.

Greg Roman could be getting the band back together in Los Angeles, as the Chargers could be close to signing another Ravens running back.

Weeks after signing Gus Edwards to a deal, Jim Harbaugh’s new team hosted running back J.K. Dobbins on a free agent visit Thursday.

Dobbins recently received clearance to begin football-related activities following rehab for a torn Achilles.

When healthy, Dobbins is a dynamic running back. Since entering the NFL in 2020 as a second-round pick by the Ravens, he has averaged 5.8 yards per carry and scored 13 touchdowns, but he has only appeared in 24 games in that time span.

Reuniting with former Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman could be the most sensible landing spot for Dobbins in Harbaugh’s run-heavy offensive approach.

Analyzing the 5 richest Ravens contracts

Time to do ROI (Return on Investment) analysis on the Ravens’ current five $100,000,000 men

The famous words of rapper Birdman, “That cash, that 100 million dollar money,” now apply to another member of the Baltimore Ravens. This weekend, Justin Madubuike, Baltimore’s franchise-tagged Defensive Tackle, is the lead NFL story, as he just inked a five-year, $98 million deal.

He’s now the highest-paid DT in the NFL.

We’ve analyzed this deal, which is $24,500,000 per season with $75,500,000 guaranteed. Now it’s time to do an ROI (Return on Investment) analysis on the Ravens’ other four $100m (literally in a couple of cases, close enough in the other two) men.

(Salary figures via Spotrac)

Lamar Jackson, 5yrs, $260,000,000 total, $52,000,000 per, $185,000,000 guaranteed

Let’s get fiscal (not physical) by starting with the most expensive player (in terms of average annual salary and total contract amount) in NFL history. He’s only been in the league since 2018 and won two Most Valuable Player awards. In January 2019, then-Ravens QB1 Joe Flacco was given a 6-year, $120.6 million contract with $52 million guaranteed.

It was massive money then, but it seemed “cute” compared to Jackson’s payday. That’s just what MVP/franchise cornerstone QBs cost these days!

Roquan Smith, 5yrs, $100,000,000 total, $20,000,000 per, $60,000,000 guaranteed

Now that he’s away from the Chicago Bears and signed until 2028, we’ll see what this former Georgia Bulldog can do. The Bears are a very beleaguered and utterly inept franchise right now, so we think Smith will hit another gear and reach his full potential in Charm City.

Talk about the current inflation rate- $20 million annually is crazy money for an inside linebacker.

Ronnie Stanley, 5yrs, $98,750,000 total, $19,750,000 per,  $64,166,000 guaranteed

The Notre Dame product was drafted to be a franchise building block, and early on, he looked every bit the part. However, he’s been slowed by injuries and thus has dropped in form in recent years. Now, the Ravens might even be better served by letting him go. We explored that concept here.

Marlon Humphrey, CB, 5yrs, $97,500,000 total, $19,500,000 per, $67,324,566 guaranteed

In today’s NFL, passers, pass rushers, pass blockers, and pass defenders get paid the best (and are also made top priority positions in the draft). The salary scale then drops considerably for everyone else. Over the course of his seven-year career, Humphrey has one first-team All-Pro and three Pro Bowl seasons to credit.

However, a foot injury slowed him down this past season, and his pass break-up numbers have been down the past couple of seasons.

If all these earnings seem absurd to you, don’t hate the player; hate the game. Jackson’s deal was north of a quarter-billion, and his contract indicates how the first ever $1B player deal is not as far off as you might think.

Just embrace it when it happens because, as Jay-Z famously said, “What’s better than one billionaire? Two (Two), especially if they’re from the same hue as you.”

10 takeaways from the Ravens 2023 season

We’re looking at ten takeaways from the Baltimore Ravens 2023 NFL season

The Ravens have concluded their 2023 season, and the focus now shifts to what’s shaping up to be a franchise-altering offseason for general manager Eric DeCosta.

Baltimore is 20th in the NFL in cap space, with $5 million available, and there will be critical decisions regarding several vital contributors and two All-Pros. And they’re spending about $120+ million plus on the offensive side of the football.

With the NFL Combine set to begin, we’re looking at ten takeaways from the Ravens 13-4 regular season.

Breaking down the final 4 teams in the AFC playoff field

We’re breaking down all four AFC playoff teams left in the divisional round as the Ravens, Texans, Chiefs and Bills look to reach Championship Sunday

The divisional round matchups are set and ready to begin.

The Texans will travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens in the AFC, while the Chiefs will head to Buffalo to face the Bills. On the NFC side, the Packers will face the 49ers in San Francisco, and the Lions will host the Buccaneers after Tampa Bay beat Philadelphia on Monday night.

With the week of preparation completed, we can look ahead to the divisional round schedule, including the first postseason games for the Niners and the Ravens, who each had a bye.

We’re breaking down the final four teams in the AFC playoff field to prepare you for the Saturday and Sunday slate.

Ravens’ 10 most important players for the second half of the season

We’re looking at the Baltimore Ravens’ 10 most important players for the final five games of the 2023 regular season

The Ravens are 9-3 and sitting atop the AFC after a 20-10 win over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium in Week 12.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson was 18-32 passing, for 177 yards and one passing touchdown, while also logging 11 carries for 39 yards. Explosive rookie running back Keaton Mitchell led the group with 64 yards on nine carries, while Zay Flowers had two touchdowns and 62 total yards on the night.

The Ravens’ defense was dominant, holding the Chargers to 279 yards of offense on 69 plays.

With Baltimore’s much-needed bye week complete and the team set to return to the Under Armour Performance Center to begin preparation for the Rams, here are the Ravens’ 10 most important players for the season’s final five games.

Three Ravens players land on NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2022 list

The Ravens had three of their players make the NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2022 list

The Baltimore Ravens went through a rollercoaster over the course over the 2021 season. The team’s continuous ability to play in competitive games throughout the year after losing so many players due to injury showed why they are considered one of the best franchises in the NFL.

The NFL Network released its annual list of the top 100 players of 2022. This year’s version of the list saw three players on the Ravens ranked on the list, all of whom were expected to make an appearance While some believe they were their spots are too low, they made the list and deservingly so after putting up great performances during the 2021 season.

10 prospects Ravens could target in first round of 2022 NFL Draft

We preview ten prospects the Ravens could target in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens are slated be on the clock Thursday at No. 14 in the 2022 NFL Draft. While things can change between now and then, the team currently finds itself picking near the middle of the first round, which is a rare thing for Baltimore, as they have usually picked around the 20s over the majority of their history.

There are plenty of talented players available in what is a very deep 2022 draft class pool. With Baltimore having many needs to fill, having a high-up selection in the first round should be able to net them a prospect that will be able to contribute immediately at a position they need production at.

Here, we preview who the Ravens could select with their first pick and if they will need to move up, move back or stay to bring them to Baltimore.