Draft History: All-time great linebacker and safety highlight Ravens’ top picks
The Baltimore Ravens will be entering their 25th season in 2020. The franchise moved from Cleveland in 1996, but was retroactively granted “expansion team” status after the “new” Browns started play in 1999. Baltimore has reached the AFC Championship Game four times and won the Super Bowl twice. Throughout their existence, the Ravens have been known for their defense, including an all-time great unit that stifled offenses en route to a Super Bowl XXXV title. Six of the team’s top 10 draft picks are on the defensive side of the ball, including two players who are arguably the best ever at their respective positions.
BEST
10. (tie) Jermaine Lewis, WR/KR (Round 5, Pick 153 in 1996), Jamal Lewis, RB (Round 1, Pick 5 in 2000) and Joe Flacco, QB (Round 1, Pick 18 in 2008) - Jermaine Lewis was a football and track star at Maryland, and he became one of the most dynamic return men in the NFL. He is Baltimore’s all-time leader with 2,730 punt return yards and six touchdowns, and he ranks second with 3,153 kickoff return yards. Lewis was also a two-time Pro Bowler, a 1998 All-Pro, and he led the NFL in punt return yards in 2001. His biggest moment came in Super Bowl XXXV, when he scored on an 84-yard kickoff return one play after Ron Dixon got the Giants on the board with a 97-yard return of his own. The Ravens won the game and their first title, 34-7. Lewis was later signed by the Texans, and spent one year in Houston. He then signed with Jacksonville, where he spent his final two seasons before retiring in 2004. Lewis got into trouble with the law after his playing career. He was charged with resisting arrest after a hit-and-run accident in 2011, and was caught driving on a suspended license the following year.
Jamal Lewis was another key piece on Baltimore’s first championship team. He was a member of the Peyton Manning-led University of Tennessee squad that won the National Championship in 1997. Lewis made the All-Rookie Team in 2000 after rushing for 1,364 yards, the first of five 1,000-yard seasons with the Ravens. He also ran for 103 yards and a score in a Super Bowl XXXV win over the Giants. Lewis missed the 2001 season after suffering a knee injury in training camp, but came back with three straight 1,000-yard campaigns, He received his only Pro Bowl and Pro Bowl selections and earned Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2003 after running for a league-high 2,066 yards as well as 14 touchdowns. Lewis signed with Cleveland in 2007 and had two more 1,000-yard seasons before retiring in 2010. He is Baltimore’s all-time leader with 7,801 yards and 45 scores in seven seasons. Lewis spent four months in prison in 2005 for helping to facilitate a drug deal. He works with a trade show and exhibition company.
Before Lamar Jackson, quarterback was not a strong position for the Ravens, but Flacco is an exception. The former star at Delaware threw for 3,000 or more yards in eight of 11 seasons in Baltimore, and is the all-time franchise leader with 38,245 yards and 212 touchdowns. In four games during the 2012 playoffs, Flacco threw for 1,140 yards and 11 touchdowns, including a 287-yard, three-score performance that earned him MVP honors in a 34-31 win over the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. He was traded to the Broncos in 2019, but is a free agent after spending one season in Denver.
9. Adalius Thomas, LB (Round 6, Pick 186 in 2000) - Thomas was an All-American as a junior at Southern Mississippi in 1998, but converted to linebacker with the Ravens. After two years as a backup, he became a full-time starter in 2002 and went on to earn two Pro Bowl selections. Thomas also earned All-Pro honors in his final year in Baltimore in 2006 after posting a career-high 11 sacks. He ranks fifth in team history with 38½ sacks, and also totaled 377 tackles, 13 forced fumbles and five touchdowns, with three coming on fumble returns and two on interceptions. Thomas had five tackles and two sacks in Baltimore’s Super Bowl XXXV victory. He was traded to the Patriots in 2007, and spent three seasons in New England before retiring in early 2010.
8. Lamar Jackson, QB (Round 1, Pick 32 in 2018) - Jackson became the ninth player in history to win the Heisman Trophy and the NFL MVP Award. In addition to the Heisman and All-American honors in 2016, he was also a two-time ACC Player of the Year. As a rookie, Jackson took over at quarterback after Flacco injured his hip, and led the Ravens to the playoffs after going 6-1 in seven starts. His unanimous MVP season in 2019 includes a 13-2 record, a league-leading 36 touchdown passes and an NFL-record for quarterbacks with 1,206 rushing yards. Jackson’s one blemish is his 0-2 postseason record as a starter.
7. Haloti Ngata, DT (Round 1, Pick 12 in 2006) - Despite his size (340 pounds), Ngata had a knack for getting to the quarterback. He was an All-American in high school and college, and added All-Pac-10 honors with Oregon in 2005. Ngata started as a rookie and went on to earn five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro selections in nine seasons with Baltimore. He was suspended four games for a performance-enhancing substance policy violation, and he was traded to the Lions the following year. After three years in Detroit, he signed with Philadelphia for one more season before retiring in 2019. Ngata finished his Ravens career with 25½ sacks and he also made two tackles in a Super Bowl XLVII win over the 49ers.
6. Peter Boulware, LB (Round 1, Pick 4 in 1997) - Boulware was a Florida State graduate who was an All-American and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 1996. He was named 1997 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after posting 11½ sacks. The four-time Pro Bowler ranks second in team history with 70 sacks, with a high of 15 in 2001 (ironically, not one of his Pro Bowl seasons). Boulware also started in Baltimore’s Super Bowl XXXV win. He missed 2004 with a knee injury and came back for one more season with the Ravens before retiring in 2005. Boulware turned to politics after his playing career. He ran for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives and also served on the Florida Board of Education.
5. Marshal Yanda, G (Round 3, Pick 86 in 2007) - An Iowa product, Yanda played 177 games in 13 NFL seasons, all with Baltimore. He was a two-time All-Pro and an eight-time Pro Bowler, including six straight from 2011-16. Yanda was limited to just two games in 2017 after suffering a broken ankle. The Super Bowl XLVII starter played two more seasons after returning from the injury and retired in March 2020.
4. Terrell Suggs, LB (Round 1, Pick 10 in 1993) - As a defensive end at Arizona State, Suggs set an NCAA single-season record with 24 sacks in 2002, and that phenomenal season led to him earning several awards, including an All-American selection, the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year award, the Lombardi award (best lineman or linebacker), the Hendricks award (best defensive end) and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player). He continued chasing down opposing quarterbacks in the NFL, amassing a Ravens-record 132½ sacks in 16 seasons with Baltimore. “T-Sizzle” earned seven Pro Bowl selections and had seven double-digit sack campaigns. He had 12 sacks in 2003, when he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year and earned All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2011 after posting 14 sacks and leading the league with seven forced fumbles. Suggs signed with Arizona for the 2019 season, but was waived in December and signed with Kansas City. He had two tackles in Baltimore’s Super Bowl XLVII over San Francisco, and also made two stops in the Chiefs’ victory over the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
3. Jonathan Ogden, T (Round 1, Pick 4 in 1996) - Ogden starred at left tackle and also competed in the shot put at UCLA. He was an All-American and earned the Outland Trophy as best interior lineman in 2005. Baltimore’s first ever draft pick started at left guard in his rookie season with the Ravens. Ogden moved back to tackle in 1997, and responded by going to 11 straight Pro Bowls. The four-time All-Pro and Super Bowl XXXV starter also caught two-touchdown passes in his career. Ogden retired after the 2007 season. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013, and was named to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019. Ogden runs a foundation that helps disadvantaged children in the Baltimore area.
2. Ed Reed, S (Round 1, Pick 24 in 2002) - Reed was a two-time All-American with the University of Miami, and was a key piece of the Hurricanes’ National Championship team in 2001. He dominated the defensive backfield in Baltimore, setting a franchise record with 61 interceptions, including three seasons leading the league. Reed was a five-time All-Pro and a nine-time Pro Bowler, with seven straight selections from 2006-12. In 2004, he was named Defensive Player of the Year after posting a league-high nine picks to go with 78 tackles and 17 passes defensed. Reed had five tackles and an interception in a Super Bowl XLVII victory, which was his final game with the franchise. He signed with the Texans in 2013, but was released in November and finished the season with the Jets. After a year off, Reed officially retired in 2015. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019 and was recently named Chief of Staff for the football program at his alma mater.
1. Ray Lewis, LB (Round 1, Pick 26 in 1996) - Three players who have spent most, if not all, of their careers in Baltimore have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and they occupy the top three spots on this list. Lewis was a two-time All-American at the University of Miami and became the face of the Ravens throughout his 17-year NFL career. After a solid rookie season, he was selected to 13 Pro Bowls, missing only in years where he missed significant time due to injury. The seven-time All-Pro led the league in tackles three times and holds the team records with 2,059 total stops, including 13 seasons of 100 or more. He also ranks first among defensive players with 20 fumble recoveries, second with 19 forced fumbles and 31 interceptions, and fourth with 41½ sacks. Lewis was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and ’03, and he has the rare distinction of appearing in both Ravens Super Bowls, earning MVP honors in Super Bowl XXXV after posting five tackles and four passes defensed. He had seven stops in Super Bowl XLVII against the 49ers and retired after the game in early 2013. Although the 2018 Pro Football Hall of Famer is seen as the quintessential team leader, he also was at the center of controversy earlier in his career. During a Super Bowl XXXIV party in Atlanta in 2000, Lewis and a group of friends were part of a fight that resulted in the stabbing death of two men. Lewis and two of his friends were eventually indicted for murder, but he decided to testify against the two others in exchange for being allowed to plea only to obstruction of justice. Lewis was sentenced to one year of probation and his friends were eventually acquitted of their charges. He was hired to be an analyst on Fox Sports 1 in 2017.
WORST
10. (tie) Patrick Johnson, WR (Round 2, Pick 42 in 1998) and Maxx Williams, TE (Round 2, Pick 55 in 2015) - Johnson was a wide receiver, kick returner and star in the 100- and 200-meter dashes at Oregon, earning All-American honors in track and field. He was mostly a reserve in four seasons with the Ravens, but he earned a championship ring as a member of Baltimore’s winning squad in Super Bowl XXXV. He signed with Jacksonville in 2002 and Washington the following year before missing the 2004 season due to a head injury suffered while he was in training camp with Cincinnati. Johnson returned to Baltimore for one final season in 2005. After a year out of football, he spent 2007 with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, but was released, and retired in 2008. Johnson has been a business consultant since his playing career ended.
The son of former New York Giants center Brian Williams, Maxx earned All-Big Ten honors at the University of Minnesota in 2014, but was drafted into a Ravens tight end situation that also included Dennis Pitta, Crockett Gilmore and fellow 2015 draftee Nick Boyle. He had 497 yards and three touchdowns in his four years before signing with the Ravens in 2019. Williams started 10 games, and functioned mostly as a blocking tight end in Arizona, but he played well enough to earn a two-year extension.
9. (tie) Arthur Brown, LB (Round 2, Pick 56 in 2013) and Sergio Kindle, LB (Round 2, Pick 43 in 2010) - Brown was an All-American in both high school and college, and he was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2012 at Kansas State. He was expected to replace the recently retired Ray Lewis, but never started a game in his four year career and registered only 17 tackles in 34 games with Baltimore. Brown was claimed by the Jaguars in 2016, but was let go in December and ended the season with the Jets. He has not appeared in a game since, getting cut in tryouts with the Seahawks in 2017 and the San Antonio Commanders of the short-lived Alliance of American Football in 2019.
Kindle moved from linebacker to defensive end and earned All-American honors at Texas in 2009. He was drafted in the second round by the Ravens in 2010, but fractured his skull after falling down two flights of stairs in July. Kindle spent 18 months on the Physically Unable to Perform list before making his NFL debut late in the 2011 season. He made one special teams tackle in three games with the Ravens and retired in 2013. Kindle has two DWI arrests, one while he was at Texas and one late in 2010.
8. (tie) Dan Cody, DE (Round 2, Pick 53 in 2005) and Kamalei Correa, DE/LB (Round 2, Pick 42 in 2016) - Cody earned two All-Big 12 selections with Oklahoma, but missed all of the 2005 season with the Ravens after suffering a knee injury on his first day of training camp. He dealt with a nagging foot injury as well, and he played just two games with Baltimore before being released and retiring in 2008.
Correa led the Mountain West Conference with 12 sacks for Boise State in 2014, but he has not been as productive in four pro seasons. He missed seven games as a rookie with a rib injury and combined to make 19 tackles in two seasons before the Ravens traded him to the Titans in 2018. So far with Tennessee, he has 8½ sacks and 56 tackles in 29 games, and he resigned for one more season in 2020.
7. Jimmy Smith, CB (Round 1, Pick 27 in 2011) - Smith was an All-Big 12 selection with Colorado in 2010 and is about to play his 10th season with the Ravens. Although he ranks seventh in team history with 14 interceptions, he has been an inconsistent performer at times. Smith missed eight games with a foot injury in 2014 and was suspended the first four games of the 2019 season for violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.
6. DeRon Jenkins, CB (Round 2, Pick 55 in 1996) - A Tennessee product, Jenkins spent four seasons in Baltimore, amassing 191 tackles and two interceptions with the Ravens. He signed with the Chargers in 2000 and the Titans in 2001. After three seasons out of football, Jenkins turned to the Arena Football League, spending one year with the Austin Wranglers and two with the Nashville Kats before retiring in 2007. He became a general contractor after his playing career, and is a co-host of the HGTV show Flip or Flop Nashville.
5. Mark Clayton, WR (Round 1, Pick 22 in 2005) - Clayton was a redshirt player during Oklahoma’s National Championship season in 2000, and was a two-time All-American with the Sooners. He was a starter in each of his five seasons with Baltimore, and had his best season in 2006, when he posted 67 catches, 939 yards and five touchdowns. He amassed 234 receptions, 3,116 yards and 12 touchdowns with the Ravens, but was an overall disappointment for his draft position. Clayton was traded to the Rams and had two unsuccessful seasons before announcing his retirement in 2013. What makes this pick even more difficult for Ravens fans to take is the fact that Aaron Rodgers and Roddy White were both among the next five selections in the 2005 Draft.
4. Matt Elam, S (Round 1, Pick 32 in 2013) - Elam was an All-American in high school and college, and he also earned All-SEC honors with Florida in 2012. He made 77 tackles in a solid rookie season, but regressed in 2014 and missed the following year with a torn bicep. Elam played nine games with the Ravens in 2016, but arrests for drug possession, battery and theft in 2017 led to the team releasing him (although the latter two charges were eventually dropped). Elam spent 2018 in Canada with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and after a year off he played with the XFL’s DC Defenders before he was waived in March 2020.
3. Travis Taylor, WR (Round 1, Pick 10 in 2000) - While at Florida, Taylor’s most memorable moment was earning the 1999 Orange Bowl MVP award after registering seven catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Syracuse. Like Clayton, Taylor had the potential to become the first star wide receiver in Ravens history, but his career was marked by inconsistent play. He had 2,758 yards and 15 scores in five seasons with Baltimore, but he was inactive for the Ravens’ win over the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV. Taylor signed with the Vikings in 2005 and bounced around with five teams in four years before retiring in 2009.
2. Breshad Perriman, WR (Round 1, Pick 26 in 2015) - The Ravens have selected four wide receivers in the first round of the NFL Draft, and three are on this list. Perriman, the son of former Lions star receiver Brett Perriman, earned first-team All-AAC honors with Central Florida in 2014, but he missed his entire rookie season after suffering a knee injury. Perriman then had 43 receptions and three touchdowns in two more seasons with the Ravens. He had an underwhelming season after signing with the Browns in 2018 but had his best season last year with the Buccaneers, posting career highs with 36 catches, 645 yards, and six scores. The productive campaign earned Perriman a one-year, $8 million contract with the Jets for 2020.
1. Kyle Boller, QB (Round 1, Pick 19 in 2003) - Before Joe Flacco was drafted, the Ravens had a history of inconsistency at the quarterback position. Steve McNair had one solid season in 2006, but otherwise Baltimore has had a mix of veterans (Vinny Testaverde, Jim Harbaugh, Elvis Grbac, Trent Dilfer and Jeff Blake) and unproven players (Tony Banks and Boller) under center. When he was drafted, Boller was California’s all-time leader with 64 touchdown passes (Jared Goff passed him for the top spot in 2015). He spent five years with Baltimore, including 2004, the only season in which he started all 16 games. The Ravens released Boller after he missed the 2008 season with a shoulder injury, and he spent one year with the Rams and two with the Raiders before retiring in 2012. Boller ranks second in team history with 7,846 yards and third with 45 touchdowns, but he is in danger of being passed in both categories by Lamar Jackson in 2020. Since his NFL career ended, Boller has focused on his golf game, got a real estate license and started a family with 2009 Miss California Carrie Prejean.
All NFL statistics and awards courtesy of https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ and college football statistics and awards courtesy of https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/
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