Baltimore Ravens LB Roquan Smith Continues Slide Down NFL Top 100 List

The Baltimore Ravens All Pro field general dropped in the annual rankings for the second year in a row.

Dec 27, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith (0) following the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite getting voted to his fourth straight Pro Bowl and recording 130-plus total tackles for the sixth year in a row, Baltimore Ravens star inside linebacker Roquan Smith isn't being as widely respected by his peers in the league as he once was not too long ago.

While the ninth-year veteran made his fifth straight appearance on the annual NFL Top 100 Players list as voted on by active players, he was revealed much earlier for the second year in a row, coming in at No. 65.

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This marked Smith's first time ranking outside the top 50 since becoming a Raven in 2022 after being acquired in a midseason trade, and it is also the second-lowest spot he's received since making his debut at No. 84 following the 2021 season.

In 2025, Smith missed a pair of games with a hamstring injury but still managed to finish as the Ravens' leader in combined (130), solo (76) and assisted (54) tackles. He also logged five tackles for loss, four quarterback hits, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery that he returned 63 yards for his first career touchdown.

“I think it starts with the passion,” veteran outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy said. “He really loves football. He’s a sure tackler; you can always count on him to have about 150 tackles every year now. He can chase down anybody and everything and he’s going to do it with an intensity you want at the middle linebacker position.”

Not only is Smith the physical tone-setter for the Ravens' defense, but he also wears the green dot as the communicator for the entire unit. He's an emotional leader for the whole team, who can often be seen and heard delivering fiery pre-game speeches similar to the ones franchise legends like Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis used to deliver before charging into battle.

“I think he came out the womb giving direction,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said.

A significant contributor to Smith's slippage of 25 spots from last year, where he came in at No. 40, was likely his lack of splash plays such as interceptions, forced fumbles and sacks. Last year was the first time in his career that he didn't record any of the above after notching at least 1.5 sacks and a minimum of one interception in each of his first eight seasons. However, his stats, or lack thereof, don't tell the full story nor accurately measure the impact he has on games or the attention from opposing offenses that he warrants anytime he steps on the field.

“He always knows what's coming and what to expect, and I feel like that’s what makes him great,” veteran running back Trey Sermon said. “He’s such a smart player."

Smith could be back on top in no time

Nov 9, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith (0) reacts with cornerback Chidobe Awuzie (3) during the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After spending the previous three seasons duking it out for the mantle of the top off-ball linebacker, Smith had a golden opportunity to stake his claim to it in 2025 as Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers suffered a severe ankle injury in Week 6 that ended his season.

Unfortunately, he suffered a soft tissue injury around the same time that took him some time to fully recover from, and as has been the case since former Ravens Pro Bowler Patrick Queen departed following the 2023 season, Smith had to pick up the slack for another young first-time starter for most of the year.

In 2024, it was former third-round pick Trenton Simpson, who got benched after a long 13-week leash. Last year, the leash only lasted two weeks before fourth-round rookie Teddye Buchanan replaced him as the full-time starter at the WILL spot.

Instead of being able to fully trust the person playing next to him to always be in the right place at the right time and both read and react properly without hesitation, Smith was forced to overcompensate under former defensive coordinator Zach Orr the past two years and still managed to make First Team All Pro in 2024, but didn't even get Second Team recognition in 2025.

The Ravens hired a renowned up-and-coming defensive mastermind to be their new head coach in Jesse Minter. He is not only in a similar mold to another former Ravens defensive coordinator, Mike Macdonald, who Smith played for in his first season and a half with the team, but is also a former colleagues with him as well. Minter and Macdonald were assistants in Baltimore at the same time from 2017-20 and helped develop what is quickly becoming the new defensive meta in the NFL.

A big reason that Smith is poised to bounce back in a big way and could catapult back into the top 25 of next year's player rankings list is the fact that Minter's variation of the scheme he played a part in constructing features more defensive backs and won't deploy two off-ball linebackers nearly as often.

This means Roquan will be playing with more athletic, seasoned, and adept coverage players on early downs and in obvious passing situations alike, which could pave the way for him to return to All Pro form in what could be a crucial make-or-break year, despite being under contract through 2027.