Ebony Bird
FanSided

The most underrated Baltimore Ravens of all time by position

By Chris Schisler

Anthony Wright #2 throws under pressure During First half action between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans on September 18, 2005. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images)
Anthony Wright #2 throws under pressure During First half action between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans on September 18, 2005. (Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 19: Cory Redding #93 of the Baltimore Ravens holds onto the ball after an interception with 1 minute, 56 seconds to go in the game against the New Orleans Saints at M&T Bank Stadium on December 19, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens defeated the Saints 30-24. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – DECEMBER 19: Cory Redding #93 of the Baltimore Ravens holds onto the ball after an interception with 1 minute, 56 seconds to go in the game against the New Orleans Saints at M&T Bank Stadium on December 19, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens defeated the Saints 30-24. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) /

Defensive Line: Corey Redding

When you think of Ravens defensive linemen a lot of names come to mind. Michael McCrary and Rob Burnett, Haloti Ngata, Trevor Pryce and a handful more of extremely recognizable names. Corey Redding is one of the best defensive linemen you probably don’t have automatically on your list.

That’s the point. In two years with the Ravens he had 69 total tackles, seven and a half sacks and an interception. That interception by the way was a game winning pick against the New Orleans Saints in 2010. Redding is another underrated player with a big moment in a classic Ravens game.

Outside Linebacker: Jarret Johnson 

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If there is a player who defines what an underrated player is, it’s Jarret Johnson. Johnson never gets talked about the way that Terrell Suggs, Peter Boulware and even Elvis Dumervil do yet Johnson was a big time player. I wouldn’t be shocked if a lot of Ravens fans would put Johnson below Jamie Sharper.

Sure, he wasn’t the elite play-maker of the high star powered defenses he was on, but he was a constant. Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata will always get credit for being the core players of those defensive units. Johnson was the one who set the record for the most consecutive starts in Baltimore.

He wasn’t just a run stopper. He had 28.5 career sacks and he also forced 11 fumbles. He happened to be the best run defending outside linebacker you could ask for, but he was more than that. Johnson wasn’t the flashiest player, but he was a true franchise great. Johnson is appreciated but it’s doubtful that the casual fan really understands how good he was.

Inside Linebacker: Daryl Smith 

Being the linebacker directly after the Ray Lewis era is a good way to be underrated. Darryl Smith was never going to be compared favorably to a player who has a statue outside of M&T Bank Stadium. We still need to talk about how strong Smith’s performance was in Baltimore.

He played three years in Baltimore and had three years with over 100 tackles. He had nine sacks as a Raven and picked off five passes as well. Smith was a great linebacker for the Ravens. He had just as much talent as C.J. Mosley and he had a lot more experience to draw on.

Smith played 13 years in the NFL. The Ravens got a small chunk of his production near the end of his career. Smith ended up with 1,002 tackles, 30.5 sacks and 12 interceptions. Those numbers aren’t dramatically different than those of Ray Lewis. Lewis had 1,084 total tackles, 41.5 sacks and 31 interceptions. Smith is one of the greatest Jacksonville Jaguars of all time and is one of the best linebackers of his generation. He’s not number 52 but his production was in a fairly similar level. The fact that he isn’t thought of more highly is downright confusing when you think about it.

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