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For most, it's easy to explain what's necessary for a successful roster build. There's just one problem. If doing so were as easy as speaking, everyone would accomplish it. That's why seeing what the Baltimore Ravens have done is so extraordinary.
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league. Everyone knows that. Every organization knows it must find its franchise signal caller, yet every team seems unable to do so. That's why quarterbacks are selected at the top of every draft and why six or seven (or more) are taken throughout every selection meeting.
Baltimore has hit a home run. Lamar Jackson is as good as there is in this business. That checks a major box for the Ravens. So does their offensive line, one that landed in the middle of a recent ranking but is better than that. Elite QB... Proper protection... Your team will win a lot of games if you have that mixture.
Winning at the point of attack and surrounding the quarterback with playmakers is a nice blueprint for a team that wants to win. Baltimore has quite a few players on the roster, and many of them have known each other for a long time.
Every July, the story remains essentially the same as it was 12 months prior. Every platform is breaking down possible depth charts and potential surprise cuts. Early mock drafts and rankings are also popular. Recently, CBS Sports dropped one of the more imaginative.
Cody Benjamin ranked the NFL's top ten college-turned-pro teammates. The Baltimore Ravens cracked the list not once, but twice.
Both mentions come in the top five. Former Alabama Crimson Tide teammates Derrick Henry and Marlon Humphrey crack the list at number four. Here's Benjamin's theory on the tandem.
Henry and Humphrey land ahead of Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney of the Green Bay Packers, as well as Miami Dolphins stars Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Like Henry and Humphrey, they all hail from Alabama.
Ranking seventh is the Jahmyr Gibbs, Terrion Arnold, and Brian Branch tandem (Detroit Lions). Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean, Azeez Ojulari, and Kelee Ringo (Philadelphia Eagles) rank eighth. Rounding out the top ten are two duos: Terry McLaurin and Marshon Lattimore (Washington Commanders) and Justin Fields and Garrett Wilson (NY Jets).
Baltimore had another duo crack the top five. Former Louisville Cardinals, Lamar Jackson and Jaire Alexander, rank third. Here's the explanation.
"Jackson alone could warrant a top spot in this list, given his increased efficiency as a quarterback to go along with unmatched electricity as an off-script big-play machine. Now he's got his old college buddy on the other side of the field, with Alexander inking a one-year deal in Baltimore following a splashy, if injury-riddled, seven-year run with the Packers. Before they were drafted 14 picks apart and became NFL icons, Jackson and Alexander represented the Cardinals from 2015-2017."
Another Philadelphia tandem, Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith, rank second, while Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase close this one out at number one. Great work by CBS here. It's hard to find many flaws with this list.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Rare NFL ranking features two standout Ravens college connections
Continue reading...
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league. Everyone knows that. Every organization knows it must find its franchise signal caller, yet every team seems unable to do so. That's why quarterbacks are selected at the top of every draft and why six or seven (or more) are taken throughout every selection meeting.
Baltimore has hit a home run. Lamar Jackson is as good as there is in this business. That checks a major box for the Ravens. So does their offensive line, one that landed in the middle of a recent ranking but is better than that. Elite QB... Proper protection... Your team will win a lot of games if you have that mixture.
Winning at the point of attack and surrounding the quarterback with playmakers is a nice blueprint for a team that wants to win. Baltimore has quite a few players on the roster, and many of them have known each other for a long time.
A recent ranking features a pair of standout Ravens connections
Every July, the story remains essentially the same as it was 12 months prior. Every platform is breaking down possible depth charts and potential surprise cuts. Early mock drafts and rankings are also popular. Recently, CBS Sports dropped one of the more imaginative.
Cody Benjamin ranked the NFL's top ten college-turned-pro teammates. The Baltimore Ravens cracked the list not once, but twice.
Both mentions come in the top five. Former Alabama Crimson Tide teammates Derrick Henry and Marlon Humphrey crack the list at number four. Here's Benjamin's theory on the tandem.
Henry and Humphrey land ahead of Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney of the Green Bay Packers, as well as Miami Dolphins stars Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Like Henry and Humphrey, they all hail from Alabama.
Ranking seventh is the Jahmyr Gibbs, Terrion Arnold, and Brian Branch tandem (Detroit Lions). Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean, Azeez Ojulari, and Kelee Ringo (Philadelphia Eagles) rank eighth. Rounding out the top ten are two duos: Terry McLaurin and Marshon Lattimore (Washington Commanders) and Justin Fields and Garrett Wilson (NY Jets).
Baltimore had another duo crack the top five. Former Louisville Cardinals, Lamar Jackson and Jaire Alexander, rank third. Here's the explanation.
"Jackson alone could warrant a top spot in this list, given his increased efficiency as a quarterback to go along with unmatched electricity as an off-script big-play machine. Now he's got his old college buddy on the other side of the field, with Alexander inking a one-year deal in Baltimore following a splashy, if injury-riddled, seven-year run with the Packers. Before they were drafted 14 picks apart and became NFL icons, Jackson and Alexander represented the Cardinals from 2015-2017."
Another Philadelphia tandem, Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith, rank second, while Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase close this one out at number one. Great work by CBS here. It's hard to find many flaws with this list.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Rare NFL ranking features two standout Ravens college connections
Continue reading...