It’s NFL Draft week! That means it’s time for every team in the league to improve their rosters—not just for the upcoming season but for the future, too. For the Baltimore Ravens, this will be the 30th NFL Draft in franchise history.
Over the past three decades, Baltimore has grown accustomed to great draft picks and strong draft classes. They’ve already drafted three Hall of Famers, with more likely on the way. Let’s take a look at the ten best draft picks in team history.
The 10 best draft picks in Baltimore Ravens history
Honorable Mentions: Chris McAlister, Peter Boulware, Ronnie Stanley, Marlon Humphrey
Chris McAlister was taken in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft and became a staple in the Ravens secondary. He was a major contributor to the legendary 2000 Ravens defense. McAlister recorded four interceptions that season and added one more in their Super Bowl XXXV victory. From 1999 to 2008, he racked up 26 career interceptions, made three Pro Bowls, and earned one All-Pro nod.
Another key piece on that 2000 defense was Peter Boulware. The 1997 Defensive Rookie of the Year and four-time Pro Bowler finished his career with 70 sacks, including seven in 2000. In 2001, he set the single-season team record with 15 sacks—a mark later broken by Elvis Dumervil in 2014 with 17.
Ronnie Stanley and Marlon Humphrey are essentially linked after being drafted in back-to-back years—Stanley in 2016 and Humphrey in 2017. Both have been fixtures on each side of the ball over the last decade and are among the best at their positions when healthy. Stanley has made two Pro Bowls and earned one All-Pro selection. Humphrey has four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro honors.
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10. Lamar Jackson
It’s impossible not to include a two-time NFL MVP on a list of all-time great Ravens picks—even while he’s still in his prime. Since taking over in 2018, Jackson has been nothing short of electric. He’s made four Pro Bowls, earned three All-Pro selections, and led Baltimore to the playoffs in every season he’s finished as the starter. The best part? He’s not done yet.
9. Todd Heap
Drafted in 2001, Heap had the unenviable task of succeeding Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe. After a rookie season backing up Sharpe, Heap took over in 2002 and became one of the best tight ends of his era—despite playing with a revolving door of quarterbacks.
He made the Pro Bowl in 2002 and 2003, combining for 125 receptions, 1,529 yards, and nine touchdowns while catching passes from the likes of Chris Redman, Jeff Blake, Kyle Boller, and Anthony Wright. Before Derrick Mason arrived in 2005, Heap was the only real threat in Baltimore’s passing game. Injuries caught up with him later, but he set the standard for Ravens pass catchers.
8. Haloti Ngata
The Ravens have always been known for big-bodied defensive linemen. Haloti Ngata, a first-round pick in 2006, was one of the most dominant of them all. From 2008 to 2012, no one was better at his position. He logged 18 sacks and 186 tackles over that stretch, made five Pro Bowls, and earned two All-Pro nods.
Ngata played a key role in Baltimore’s Super Bowl XLVII run, often commanding double teams and creating space for linebackers like Ray Lewis to make plays.
7. Jamal Lewis
Baltimore’s identity has long been tied to the run game, and Jamal Lewis embodied that in the 2000s. Drafted out of Tennessee, Lewis was the engine of the Ravens’ offense from 2000 to 2006. As a rookie, he rushed for 1,364 yards and six touchdowns, helping lead the team to a Super Bowl win. In that postseason, he scored four touchdowns, including one in the Super Bowl.
He’s best remembered for his 2003 season when he rushed for 2,066 yards and 14 touchdowns, almost single-handedly carrying the offense. In an era where the Ravens lacked stability at quarterback, Lewis was the anchor.
6. Joe Flacco
The quarterback who finally brought stability to the position in Baltimore. Drafted in 2008, Flacco led the Ravens to the playoffs in six of his first seven seasons and ended the team’s long-running search for a franchise quarterback.
Though he never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, Flacco held his own against the AFC’s elite—Brady, Manning, Roethlisberger, and Rivers. His legacy is defined by postseason play: 10 playoff wins and an 11-touchdown, zero-interception performance during the Super Bowl XLVII run.
5. Marshal Yanda
A 13-year anchor on the offensive line, Marshal Yanda was as tough and dependable as they come. A versatile lineman who could play guard or tackle, he protected both Flacco and Jackson and paved the way for backs like Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and Mark Ingram.
Yanda earned eight Pro Bowl selections, two All-Pro honors, and was a key cog in the Super Bowl XLVII title run. Though he missed out on the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, he should be a lock in the coming years.
4. Terrell Suggs
The other Ravens legend who will soon be a Hall of Famer is T-Sizzle, Terrell Suggs. Baltimore drafted Suggs out of Ball So Hard University—better known as Arizona State—in 2003. While Boller, the other 2003 first-round pick, became the biggest bust in team history, Suggs was one of their biggest hits. Like his fellow pass-rushing teammate Peter Boulware, Suggs won Defensive Rookie of the Year. He wasn’t just a stud pass rusher—he was also excellent against the run.
Suggs made seven Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team, but in 2011, he took home Defensive Player of the Year honors with 14 sacks and a league-leading seven forced fumbles. The following offseason, Suggs tore his Achilles but battled back to help Baltimore on their 2012 Super Bowl run, including sacking Peyton Manning twice in the AFC Divisional Round. Suggs is the Ravens’ all-time leader in both sacks and forced fumbles.
3. Ed Reed
When you hear the term “ball hawk” to describe a defensive back, the first name that should come to mind is Ed Reed. Reed is easily the greatest center fielder in NFL history. He notched nine Pro Bowls, five All-Pro selections, and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 with nine interceptions and 17 passes defensed. He’s still the all-time leader in interception return yards.
Reed is also tied for the most interceptions in NFL postseason history with nine—and one of them came in Baltimore’s Super Bowl XLVII win. That would be his final interception as a Raven. In 2004, he set the record for the longest pick-six in NFL history in a Sunday night win over the Browns. Four years later, he broke that very record with another long return against the Eagles. Reed was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019. He’s the best free safety the game has ever seen.
2. Jonathan Ogden
The very first draft pick in Baltimore Ravens history—and one of two Hall of Famers selected by Ozzie Newsome in his debut draft—Jonathan Ogden turned out to be the greatest left tackle in NFL history. A perfect blend of power, quickness, and tenacity, all delivered with a smile, Ogden anchored Baltimore’s offensive line from 1996 to 2007. He earned eleven Pro Bowl nods and four All-Pro selections, and he helped lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl XXXV win in 2000. Alongside Edwin Mulitalo, Jeff Mitchell, and Mike Flynn, Ogden protected quarterback Trent Dilfer and cleared running lanes for Jamal Lewis during that title run.
Ogden retired after the 2007 season as injuries began to catch up to him. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, becoming the first player in Ravens history to receive that honor. It’s not often a franchise’s first-ever draft pick also becomes its first Hall of Famer.
1. Ray Lewis
The second Hall of Famer selected by Newsome in that legendary 1996 draft—and the player who defined Baltimore Ravens football. When you think of the Ravens, you immediately think of No. 52, Ray Lewis. A 13-time Pro Bowler with seven All-Pro selections, Lewis led the team for all 17 seasons of his career. His tenacity and passion set the tone, and his iconic squirrel dance became one of the greatest entrances in NFL history.
In 2000, Lewis led the Ravens to a Super Bowl title, earning Defensive Player of the Year honors with 137 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 interceptions. He was named Super Bowl XXXV MVP, tallying five tackles and four pass deflections—one of which led to a Jamie Sharper interception. Three seasons later, he won another Defensive Player of the Year award with 163 tackles and six picks. In 2012, after returning from a torn triceps and announcing his retirement, Lewis led the Ravens to a second championship in Super Bowl XLVII. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018, cementing his status as the greatest middle linebacker in NFL history.