The most underrated Baltimore Ravens of all time by position

Wide Receiver: Michael Jackson 

Now we’re talking early Baltimore Ravens and not about dancing to “Man in the Mirror.” The Ravens’ Michael Jackson finished his career in Baltimore. He started his career in Cleveland and was one of the players who moved with the former Browns franchise. In the inaugural season of the Ravens he had 1,201 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was the Ravens’ best receiver in the two years Vinny Testeverde was the quarterback.

The Ravens were never known for the wide receiver position. An honorable mention has to go to Quadry Ismail (One of my favorite old school Ravens). It’s a little like the quarterback position. There were only a few very good ones and the obvious names weren’t underrated.

Tight End: Daniel Wilcox 

Daniel Wilcox was basically what Nick Boyle is now for the Ravens. He was a serviceable player who caught some passes but kept a roster spot for being a blocking tight end. Wilcox was a do it all tight end for Baltimore. Wilcox never lit up the box score but he caught the ball when his name was called. He was on the receiving end of Joe Flacco’s first touchdown pass. Kind of like Wright, a memorable moment served him in getting on this list.

The tight end position was the hardest one to pick an underrated player for. The Ravens have a long line of beloved tight ends. Todd Heap, Shannon Sharpe, Mark Andrews and Dennis Pitta are the first ones to come to mind. Dallas Clark, Benjamin Watson and Owen Daniels didn’t fit the billing for this. Ed Dickson is a good one, but Wilcox played for the Ravens longer. Dickson has also had his best years outside of Baltimore.

Boyle was in the running for being the definitive underrated tight end. The problem is that Boyle gets a lot of love for being so essential to Baltimore’s unique offense. Greg Roman makes blocking tight ends a prized asset. Wilcox did the dirty work for the offense but didn’t get nearly the same level of recognition.

Offensive Line: Jared Gaither

Here’s a fun Ravens fact for you, Jared Gaither was the Ravens only supplemental draft choice. Gaither was a quality offensive tackle. He started 28 games for the Ravens from 2007-2009. He had the impossible job of filling in for the retired Jonathan Ogden. He wasn’t J.O. good, but he got the job done. Injury derailed his career and he never got back on track. In a short time, Gaither made a good case for being a top five offensive tackle in Ravens history. When he was healthy, he was rock solid.