Four years after the Baltimore Ravens made their selections in the 2018 NFL Draft, where does the team’s draft class rank in the league?
Pretty high up there.
The Ravens tend to hit the nail on the head in most drafts in recent history, but 2018 was one for the record books.
Baltimore not only selected its quarterback of the future in Lamar Jackson, but the team also found future starters in Orlando Brown, Mark Andrews, Anthony Averett, DeShon Elliott, and Bradley Bozeman.
Admittedly, every one of those players except for Andrews has since moved on to new teams, but they each made crucial impacts for the Ravens during their relatively short-lived tenures.
PFF’s Michael Renner recently graded every team’s 2018 draft class and gave Baltimore a shining A-plus:
"“When a team drafts an MVP with the 32nd overall pick, chances are that it had an A+ draft. When it gets two more Pro Bowlers in the third round, chances are that team had an all-time draft. The Ravens’ 2018 draft class is certainly among the five best over the past decade.”"
The Ravens get stellar marks across the board for their 2018 draft class
Renner also handed out A-pluses to the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, and Philadelphia Eagles for their excellent hauls.
Baltimore’s most ill-advised selection of 2018 was arguably Hayden Hurst, who spent two unimpressive seasons on the Ravens before being traded to Atlanta.
Hurst is now on the Cincinnati Bengals and will face his former team twice in the AFC North, which should make for an exciting matchup.
Even with Hurst, Baltimore got a second-rounder in the Falcons trade that they then turned into running back J.K. Dobbins.
Considering all the offensive pieces the Ravens got in 2018 (Jackson, Andrews, Bozeman, and essentially Dobbins), this draft helped mold Baltimore’s team identity for years to come.
Hopefully, the class of 2022 follows in their footsteps.