Jaylon Ferguson could beat another Terrell Suggs record

Jaylon Ferguson toppled Terrell Sugss’ career sack record for the NCAA, but he could poetically unseat Suggs once again for another sack record as a rookie.

For many years, Terrell Suggs was the undisputed NCAA sack king before the king was dethroned by a man dubbed the “Sack Daddy.” That man is none other than Jaylon Ferguson. Ferguson, who notched 45.0 sacks in his four seasons with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, was drafted in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens. Even as a rookie, Ferguson faces some mighty expectations.

Besides established edge rusher Matt Judon, there isn’t another proven true edge rusher on the team. Tyus Bowser and Tim Williams have been major disappointments thus far into their NFL careers, albeit they’ve had flashes in the pan. Still, neither has proven their value after being second and third round picks respectively.

Now, the Ravens place their faith in the NCAA all-time sack leader to help generate their pass rush after losing both Suggs and Za’Darius Smith this past off-season. After Baltimore drafted Jaylon Ferguson, there’s little doubt he was aware of the expectations being placed upon him and is excited to take the field and exceed them.

When watching Ferguson’s play for the Bulldogs, you see a determined individual with one thing on his mind: sack the quarterback and hit him as hard as you can. Ferguson played like a Raven long before he was selected by the team, leaving us excited to watch him come out as a rookie and dominate. There’s plenty of optimism that Jaylon Ferguson is ready to rise to the occasion.

For starters, his reps will come aplenty while Baltimore tries to sort out its pass rushing depth chart. While Jaylon Ferguson doesn’t have one standout specialty in his pass rushing toolbox, he does possess brute strength and the motor to not take plays off. That kind of play goes a long ways with impressing coaches.

Ferguson’s competition is also not that steep and will reserve a bounty of plying time so long as he makes the most of it. If all this falls into place, could we see Jaylon Ferguson break Terrell Suggs’ rookie sack record with the Baltimore Ravens?

It certainly won’t be a walk in the park, as Suggs set the record back in 2003 with 12.0 sacks despite starting just one game; a number that hasn’t been sniffed by any other rookie pass rusher. Suggs was an absolute animal as a rookie, using his speed to blow past offensive linemen and attack quarterbacks mercilessly. It won’t be easy to beat, but it isn’t impossible.

With the passion that Jaylon Ferguson brings to the football field, Ravens Flock has to be excited about his potential. Double-digit sacks could come from day one for the 23-year old. While there shouldn’t be any form of disappointment if he fails to reach that number, don’t be surprised when Ferguson topples another one of Terrell Suggs’ sack records in 2019. It would surely be poetic…