#2 – 1997 NFL Draft
The 1997 NFL Draft provided the Baltimore Ravens with 4 starters from the 2000 Super Bowl winning team. It also gave the Ravens two iron men for the heart of the defense.
The Ravens 1st round pick in this draft was Peter Boulware. Boulware gave the Ravens their first star at outside linebacker/defensive end. Boulware starred on the Ravens defense from year one, winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after notching 11.5 sacks and 58 tackles. His career went on in a similar fashion and he went to the Pro Bowl for the next two years. He played a total of 126 games for the Ravens and retired with 70 sacks, a then franchise record.
Building a Championship Level Defense
The first of two big 2nd round picks was Jamie Sharper, another linebacker. Sharper, like Boulware, was a key contributor from day 1. He played in all 16 games in all 5 seasons he spent in Baltimore and he started in all but 1 of those games.
Sharper formed a key partnership with Ray Lewis at inside linebacker. He was another big part of the 2000 Super Bowl winning defense. He finished his time in Baltimore with 386 total tackles, 14 sacks, 2 interceptions, 6 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Must Read: Ravens Built 2000 Defense In The Draft
The second 2nd round pick was defensive back Kim Herring. He wasn’t quite as impactful as Boulware and Sharper but he was no slouch. He was in Baltimore for just four years but he started all 16 games for the Ravens in his final two years. His final year was in 2000 and snatched one of the Ravens 4 interceptions in Super Bowl XXXV.
The Ravens 5th round pick was center Jeff Mitchell. Like Herring he wasn’t in Baltimore all that long, only 3 years in Mitchell’s case, but he was a starter for the Ravens Super Bowl XXXV winning squad and went on to have a good career away from the Ravens.