Multiple Ravens Defenders Earn Top-10 Positional Rankings

There aren't many teams as historically tied to defense as the Baltimore Ravens.

It helps that they aren't one of the longer-running franchises, still yet to come up on three decades since their 1996 establishment, but they've amounted several seasons worth of wins over their total losses in making up their all-time record, and they've had a dominant defense for just about all of their run of extended contention.

This ongoing window defined by deserved championship stakes, and their defense has been typically well-rounded thanks to a mixture of drafting and free agency luring that defines their overall skill for talent evaluation.

When CBS Sports ran through the ten best players at every defensive position, a few of Baltimore's finest deterrents had to be mentioned as elites within their niches, and no Ravens reigned supreme quite like Kyle Hamilton.

The rising-fourth year star was named as the single best safety in the game, with all five of CBS' surveyed NFL writers agreeing on a consensus for the current model for the position. He's regularly named as one of the most valuable players on the loaded roster between the incredible amount of on-field impact he's demonstrated over three critically-acclaimed NFL seasons and the bargain contract he's currently playing on.

Baltimore Ravens Safety Kyle Hamilton — Dec 11, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) runs after a catch as Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) defends during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Ravens' secondary is regarded as one of the deepest units in the league, and Hamilton has been the linchpin that's tied the defensive backfield together. "Less a safety than an all-around ball magnet, Hamilton has proven capable of manning just about any position with force and range," Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports wrote.

Fellow Raven Roquan Smith nearly topped his own positional ranking over at linebacker, but had to settle for runner-up behind Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers. He arrived in Baltimore through a trade two and a half years ago, and has been named as a First-Team All-Pro every year since donning the purple, black and gold.

"Can you believe this man just turned 28? He's been a projectile missile since arriving with the Chicago Bears back in 2018," Benjamin said.

Two key Ravens forcing their way into the top-two of their respective roles makes for a tough standard to meet, but just making the list is impressive in a 32-team league with plenty of players vying for the first chair within their squad's positional group.

Marlon Humphrey rang in at No. 9 in the ordered cornerback list, and his managing his way into a mention over the other decorated talents with which he splits snaps in Baltimore is almost as impressive as his bumping 23 other top options out of the way.

He's the most experienced of the bunch with eight seasons under his belt, each with the Ravens, with four Pro Bowl games to show for himself on top of two First Team All-Pro selections, the latest of which arrived earlier this year. Humphrey's attendance numbers have been more sporadic than most of his compatriots, but as Benjamin points out, he's coming off of a career-high six interceptions in 2024.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!