Building the ultimate 53-man roster for 25 years of Ravens football

Defensive line: Haloti Ngata, Michel McCrary, Tony Siragusa, Sam Adams, Brandon Williams, Rob Burnett

Ngata was an absolute star with the Ravens, and Michael McCrary was a force of nature who never took a break. Siragusa, Adams and Williams completely dominated the interior line, while Burnett was a pass-rush weapon who shut down the run by staking his claim to a piece of real estate and not backing off without a fight. This is a destructive unit that would win games by itself.

Edge: Terrell Suggs, Peter Boulware, Elvis Dumervil, Adalius Thomas, Matthew Judon

Suggs is a franchise treasure, and is a lock for this list. Boulware was a terror to quarterbacks for the legendary 2000 defense, while Dumervil teamed with Suggs to pinch passing pockets and blow up offenses. Thomas was a weapon from any angle and position, while Judon can cover and get after the quarterback with equal skill.

Linebacker: Ray Lewis, CJ Mosley, Bart Scott, Jarrett Johnson

This one kind of baffled me, to be honest. Not Ray Lewis. That’s obviously a no-brainer. Mosley did a lot of stuff pretty good, and some stuff pretty poorly, but he was active, smart and made big plays. Scott was a great compliment to Lewis and a good leader, while Johnson set a nasty edge and started a ton of games in Baltimore. I really, really, really liked Zach Orr, but his time was just too short to include.

Cornerback: Chris McCalister, Lardarius Webb, Marlon Humphrey, Jimmy Smith, Duane Starks, Samari Rolle

This is another position of strength for the Ravens, as one would expect. McCalister was a Hall-of-Fame talent with the Ravens, and Lardarius Webb had moments of greatness when he was healthy. Humphrey appears well on his way to stardom, and Jimmy Smith has been as good as it gets when he has not been injured. Duane Starks and Samari Rolle were dependable corners who could cover any receiver on their sides, and made big plays.

Safety: Ed Reed, Rod Woodson, Eric Weddle, Dawan Landry

Ed Reed. I think that’s all that needs to be said about the greatest player in Ravens history, in my opinion. Rod Woodson is a Hall-of-Famer who shined in Baltimore and Eric Weddle brought veteran savvy and leadership to the defense. Dawan Landry was my guy. That’s my explanation.

Returner: Jermaine Lewis

This was a toss-up with Jacoby Jones, as they were both tremendous returners who also scored in Super Bowl wins. When there’s a tie, I go for the kid who grew up in Maryland and was a Terrapin. Local boy wins.

Specialists: Justin Tucker, Sam Koch, Morgan Cox

Never break up the Wolfpack. Don’t even try.