AFC North round-up: Top-5 players on Baltimore Ravens, other’s roster
The AFC North is a loaded division oozing with talent across each team. Here are the top-five players on each team in the AFC North entering 2020.
Baltimore Ravens:
An obvious choice for top-five players on the Baltimore Ravens is the reigning MVP, Lamar Jackson. Jackson was masterful in 2019, setting the single-season record for quarterback rushing yards (1,206) and leading the league with 36 touchdown passes. Jackson has grown as a passer and can manipulate defenses with his legs; he’s practically unguardable. There remain plenty of doubters, however, so Jackson will need to once again light up the league in 2020 to prove he’s not a one-year wonder.
Ronnie Stanley is the best left tackle in all of football and has progressively gotten better each season in the league. Stanley is an elite pass blocker who has become more adept as a run blocker in the Baltimore Ravens run-heavy offensive philosophy. Stanley is a cornerstone for this franchise and soon is going to be paid as such. Entering 2020, Stanley is no doubt the best offensive tackle in the AFC North and perhaps even the division’s best offensive lineman entirely.
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Marlon Humphrey’s rookie year (2017) was a solid one and he followed it up with a season that should’ve earned him a Pro Bowl selection. Those first to years culminated into a wonderful 2020 season that saw him earn his first Pro Bowl nod and even make the league’s First-Team All-Pro list. Humphrey is a true lockdown corner that is an opportunistic player that creates clutch turnovers (three interceptions, three fumble recoveries). The AFC North has some tough defensive backs to offer, especially in Baltimore, but Humphrey finds a way to stand out as perhaps its best.
Far from a household name entering 2019, Matt Judon became a staple of the Ravens team behind his terrific play and personality. Judon racked up a career-best 9.5 sacks in 2019, which wound up gifting him his first Pro Bowl nod. Judon was one of the league’s most efficient pass rushers beyond the sack totals and was the only reliable member of Baltimore’s lackluster pass rush in 2019. Entering 2020, Judon is back on the franchise tag and ready to prove he’s worthy of getting paid top dollar.
Earl Thomas may not be the guy you want to date your daughter, but he’s definitely the guy you want patroling your secondary. Thomas spent his first season in Baltimore keeping quarterbacks honest and not testing his zone. Despite recording just two interceptions, Thomas has shown he can still make opposing receivers pay for running anywhere near him. Thomas is a strong, vocal leader, too, which only makes him even more valuable.