Ravens: Ranking every Heisman Trophy winner who played for Baltimore

Last season, the Baltimore Ravens could boast of something few NFL teams in history could ever match — three former Heisman Trophy winners on the same roster.

Their prolific offense featured quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin III, who won college football’s highest individual honor in 2016 and 2011, respectively. Lining up at halfback was 2009 Heisman winner Mark Ingram.

In 2021, Jackson is the lone member of the Heisman trio still on the Ravens roster. Both Ingram and Griffin were waived shortly after the season.

Aside from those three, the Ravens have had a grand total of six former Heisman Trophy winners join their ranks in their 25-year history. As with all former Heisman winners who reach the pro level, these six all met varying levels of success.

Note that this list is ranked purely on what these players achieved during their time with the Ravens and not during their NFL career as a whole.

6. Troy Smith, QB, Ravens

• 2006 Heisman Trophy winner
• Ravens tenure: 2007-2009

Without question the saddest story on this list, even one that features Robert Griffin III.

During his two-and-a-half seasons as Ohio State’s starting quarterback, Troy Smith torched the college football world, leading the Buckeyes to 25 wins in his 29 starts.

He won virtually all of college football’s individual awards for merit after the 2006 season, including the most prestigious of all, the Heisman Trophy. He took home a whopping 91.6 percent of first-place votes that year, a record at the time.

However, a brutal loss to Florida in the 2007 National Championship Game sent his draft stock plummeting, and at the time, NFL teams were still leery of short, undersized quarterbacks like Smith.

Despite his undeniable talent and fully-stocked trophy case, Smith dropped all the way to the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, where the Ravens chose him with the 174th pick.

He saw his first opportunity when he replaced injured starter Kyle Boller in December. Over four games, Smith was 40-of-76 for two touchdowns and zero interceptions, winning one of his two starts.

Smith was set to compete for the starting job in 2008. But an onset of the ultra-rare infectious disease Lemierre’s syndrome, combined with the rise of Joe Flacco, eliminated any chance he had in Baltimore.

By 2014, Smith was out of pro football altogether.