Justin Madubuike has gotten off to a strong start to his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He is now entering his fourth year, and while he has essentially broken out as a well-rounded player, there is a case to be made that we have yet to see the best from Madubuike.
Justin Madubuike career trajectory with Baltimore Ravens
Looking into historical comparisons we can see how players with recent success early into their career, similar to Madubuike have fared. Some recent names with similar career arcs in their first three seasons would include Javon Hargrave, Shariff Floyd, Akiem Hicks, Tyson Alualu, and BJ Raji. You can see how similar they compare to each other below.
Name | Games | Approximate Value | Combined Tackles | Sacks | TFL | QB Hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Justin Madubuike | 42 | 15 | 97 | 8.5 | 17 | 16 |
Javon Hargrave | 47 | 21 | 108 | 10.5 | 15 | 16 |
Shariff Floyd | 43 | 13 | 95 | 9.5 | 13 | 22 |
Akiem Hicks | 45 | 15 | 115 | 6.5 | 17 | 16 |
Tyson Alualu | 48 | 20 | 123 | 9.5 | 13 | 21 |
BJ Raji | 46 | 17 | 86 | 10.5 | 17 | 13 |
It is a fair comparison, and a good assortment of talent to show us what could become of Madubuike in the following years. Below you see how these five did in their fourth season. It does show that things can start to turn in plenty of directions from here.
Name | Games | Tackles | Sacks | Hits | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tyson Alualu | 16 | 42 | 1.5 | 9 | 3 |
Sharrif Floyd | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Javon Hargave | 16 | 60 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
Akiem Hicks | 16 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 5 |
BJ Raji | 14 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
In the case of Sharrif Floyd, he was having a strong start to his career, but injuries started in that year and he did not get onto the field after that. It is a reminder that this can come at any point. For B.J. Raji, he was excellent in his first three seasons but started to tail off in years four and five. He suffered an injury after that and was never the same, but it did appear his play was falling off before that.
For Tyson Alualu, he did not ascend but did not fall off as Raji and Floyd did. He kept going, and is a free agent right now after a 13-year career, most of it being a starter. This is not an awful case scenario.
Lastly, there are the big hits, and that is Javon Hargrave and Akiem Hicks. What is interesting to note with these two is that their first three seasons were solid and in-line with Madubuike, but nowhere near the best for either.
Hargrave was on the Steelers, and Hicks was on the Saints when they were in year four. Their best play came with the Eagles, and Bears respectively. Interestingly enough, they also saw their best play come years five, six, and seven. Hicks had 23 sacks In that three-year span after 6.5 in his first three seasons in the NFL. Hargrave also had 23 sacks from years five through seven, and he had 10.5 to start his career.
So, even if the fourth year is not an All-Pro level breakout, that type of play is still a potential outcome for his game. The Baltimore Ravens should be thinking that there is a chance years five through seven are like Hicks and Hargrave, and if that is the case, the team is about to see a huge explosion coming very soon.