The Greatest First-Round Picks in Ravens History -- The Ones Who Changed Everything

The Baltimore Ravens’ draft history is littered with big time hits, especially in the first round.

Though there have been some pretty scandalous misses over the years, the good picks overshadow by far the bad ones.

Here’s a look at the Ravens’ Top-10 first round draft picks:

Ray Lewis, Linebacker, 26th 1996

It’s impossible not to envision Lewis as the original Raven, even if he wasn’t the first player ever selected by the franchise.

A 12-time Pro Bowl player and seven-time first-team All-Pro, Lewis’ name is revered along those of Singletary, Nitschke, Butkus or Bednarik as the greatest middle linebackers to ever play.

Lewis is also the only player on both Super Bowl-winning Ravens teams, despite a 12-year gap between them, a testament to his durability. The Super Bowl XXXV MVP was also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year in the NFL and a HOFer since 2018.

Ed Reed, Safety, 24th 2002

It’s almost unfathomable to believe you might be the best at your position all-time in the NFL, but only the second best draft pick for your franchise, but that’s Reed, the 2004 season Defensive Player of the Year.

Reed embodied the concept of "High Football IQ". He had to be accounted for on every single play.

A nine-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019 after a 12-year career, with the first 11 seasons spent in Baltimore.

Lamar Jackson, quarterback, 32nd 2018

Baltimore traded back into the first-round to take a Heisman winning quarterback who had been facing a landslide of opinions on a position switch to WR. Good thing he never listened.

Jackson is a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player -- should be three -- who’s already racked up four Pro Bowl nods and three first-team All-Pro mentions.

When he’s dialed in, no player is as dynamic on the field at any position than the Ravens current quarterback.

Jonathan Ogden, offensive tackle, 4th 1996

The first player ever drafted by Baltimore ended being a genuine wall at left tackle, with 11 Pro Bowl selections and four first-team All-Pro mentions to his name.

Ogden spent his entire 12-year career protecting Baltimore’s passers before being elected to the Hall of Fame in 2013.

Terrell Suggs, linebacker/defensive end, 10th 2003

T-Sizzle’s 132.5 sacks in Baltimore are, by far, the most ever by a Ravens' player. Suggs played 16 out of his 17 pro seasons with Baltimore, earning seven Pro Bowl invites and one first-team All-Pro mention.

He was also honored as Defensive Rookie of the Year (2003) and Defensive Player of the Year (2011).

Haloti Ngata, defensive tackle, 12th 2006

After Baltimore traded up one spot to snatch the Oregon product, Ngata became the blueprint of what every team began to look for at the nose tackle position. Not only was Ngata strong and massive upfront, but he also possessed a rare mobility for someone his size.

The two-time first-team All-Pro was also a five-time Pro Bowler.

Joe Flacco, quarterback, 18th 2008

Baltimore’s only Super Bowl-winning quarterback drafted by the Ravens themselves, Flacco made the jump from Division I-AA Delaware to NFL starter during his first preseason, when the two passers above him on the depth chart, Kyle Boller and Troy Smith, got injured.

Flacco never looked back, taking the Ravens to the playoffs in his first season and, eventually, a Super Bowl win in SB XLVII, where he was named the game’s MVP.

Peter Boulware, linebacker, 4th 1997

The teams’ first fearsome pass rusher, Boulware made an immediate connection with Lewis as the Ravens began making a name for themselves on defense.

The 1997 Defensive Rookie of the Year and four-time Pro Bowler is second on the all-time sack list for the club, with 70.0.

Kyle Hamilton, safety, 14th 2022

After barely four seasons with the team, Hamilton has already shown enviable leadership qualities in addition to becoming a force on the field.

A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, Hamilton is part of a new breed of playmaking safeties that can pretty much do anything while playing close to the ball.

Jamal Lewis, running back, 5th 2000

Since the very beginning, the formula for winning in Baltimore has regularly been stout defense combined with a powerful running game, and Lewis embodied that spirit well.

Lewis immediately became the team’s workhorse, leading the ground attack during the Super Bowl-winning season of 2000 as a rookie, and in 2003 he became the league’s fifth 2,000-yard rusher ever. The one-time Pro Bowler and one time first team All-Pro only missed the 1,000-yard mark once as a Raven.