Baltimore Ravens: Top 5 Draft Classes of all Time
By Remy Cabache
#1 – 1996 NFL Draft
It wasn’t hard to select this draft as the greatest Baltimore Ravens draft of all time. The 1996 NFL Draft was the Ravens first ever draft and it set the team up for 10+ years of success.
The team’s first selection if the draft was offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden. Ogden spent 12 seasons with the Ravens and started all but one game in that time. He missed just 15 in that time and in the games he did play he was one of the best offensive lineman in the NFL. He missed out on any awards in his rookie season but he made the Pro Bowl after every other year in his career. In addition he was a four-time First-Team All-Pro. Ogden is now a hall of fame inductee.
The 2 Hall of Famer Draft:
Twenty-two picks later in the 1st round, the Ravens selected linebacker Ray Lewis. From that moment Ray Lewis became the face of the Baltimore Ravens until he retired in 2012 following the Ravens second Super Bowl title. He was for multiple seasons the best defensive player in the NFL. His list of awards is immense. He made 13 Pro Bowls, he was a seven-time First-Team All-Pro, two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, the Super Bowl XXXV MVP and was named to the NFL 2000s All Decade Team. He is the epitome of a Raven and the greatest Ravens player of all time.
Next: Ravens Draft: Desperation Level At Positions Of Need
Most of the other selections are forgetful apart from one. In the 5th round the Ravens drafted Jermaine Lewis. Lewis was never an impact player at wide receiver, but he was a very good kick and punt returner. In his six years as a Raven he had 6 punt return touchdowns and averaged 11.8 yards per return. He also added a kick return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXV. Though he wasn’t an obvious Ravens great, he was a big part of the early Ravens teams.