The Baltimore Ravens were fortunate in the 2018 NFL Draft that 31 selections were made without Lamar Jackson coming off the board when their turn came up at 32. In his second season, the Heisman winner from Louisville has earned honors as NFL MVP for the 2019 regular season. Who were the players chosen before Jackson?
31. Patriots: Sony Michel
Sony Michel has a Super Bowl ring. He has rushed for 1,843 yards and 13 touchdowns after the Patriots chose him from Georgia.
30. Vikings: Mike Hughes
Mike Hughes has made only five starts while playing 20 games for the Vikings. Hughes suffered a torn ACL, ending his rookie season in Week 6. He found up on IR again in 2020 at the end of the season. He finished the season with 45 tackles, nine passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and an interception through 14 games and three starts.
29: Jaguars: Taven Bryan
Taven Bryan has made nine starts in two seasons and has three sacks with Jacksonville.
28. Steelers: Terrell Edmunds
Terrell Edmunds has been a strong member of the Steelers’ secondary. He has started 31 games over two seasons and has been in on 172 tackles, 126 of which were solo.
27. Seahawks: Rashaad Penny
Rashaad Penny has played in 24 games over two seasons. He has rushed for 789 yards and scored five touchdowns. Penny has seen his play be sporadic as he has been only a piece of the Seahawks’ backfield.
26. Falcons: Calvin Ridley
Calvin Ridley came to the Falcons from Alabama. He has been consistent with Atlanta, catching 64 and 63 passes, respectively in his first two seasons. Ridley has scored 17 TDs on receptions.
25. Ravens: Hayden Hurst
Hayden Hurst has only made four starts in two seasons as the Ravens also have Mark Andrews as a target for Lamar Jackson. Hurst played in 12 games and had 13 catches as a rookie. He uppsed his production to 30 receptions in 2019.
24. Panthers: D.J. Moore
D.J. Moore has 142 receptions for nearly 2,000 yards as a Panther. He had a great second season with 87 receptions for 1,175 yards despite Carolina’s struggles.
23. Patriots: Isaiah Wynn
Isaiah Wynn missed his entire rookie season due to injury. The offensive tackle was placed on IR again in September of 2019 as a result of the toe injury he suffered in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins. He was designated for return from injured reserve on Oct. 30, and began practicing with the team again. He was activated on Nov. 19. Overall, he has seen action in eight games.
22. Titans: Rashaan Evans
Rashaan Evans started 16 games in 2019. He was in on 111 tackles as the Titans made the playoffs and advanced to the AFC Championship Game.
21. Bengal: Billy Price
Billy Price has made 18 starts at center for Cincinnati. He made the PFWA All-Rookie team in 2018.
20. Lions: Frank Ragnow
Frank Ragnow has been a fixture on the Lions’ line, making 31 starts and playing in almost all of the team’s offensive plays in his first two seasons.
19. Cowboys: Leighton Vander Esch
Leighton Vander Esch came to the Cowboys from Boise State. They grabbed a gem. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. His second season was disrupted by injury and the linebacker played in only nine games.
18. Packers: Jaire Alexander
Jaire Alexander has been in on 124 tackles for Green Bay, 111 of them solo. He also has three picks and three fumble recoveries.
17. Chargers: Derwin James
Derwin James made the Pro Bowl and was All-Pro as a rookie. On Aug.15, 2019, it was revealed that James had been dealing with a stress fracture in his right foot. The injury required surgery, and he was placed on IR on Sept. 1/ He was designated for return from injured reserve on Nov. 25 and was activated on Nov. 30.
16. Bills: Tremaine Edmunds
Tremaine Edmunds made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and has been a valued member of the Bills’ stellar defense. The inside linebacker has three picks, 3.5 sacks and has been in on 236 tackles.
15. Raiders: Kolton Miller
Kolton Miller has started all 32 games in his two seasons with the Raiders. He has been on the field for 2,027 snaps, including 100% of the Raiders’ offensive plays in 2019.
14. Saints: Marcus Davenport
Marcus Davenport has 10.5 sacks in his two seasons as a Saint. He has been in on 53 tackles in his NFL career and made 13 starts, all in 2019.
13. Redskins: Daron Payne
Daron Payne was in on 56 tackles in each of his first two seasons with Washington. He had five sacks as a rookie and two in his second season as Washington went through a rough campaign.
12. Buccaneers: Vita Vea
Vita Vea is 6-foot-4 and 347 pounds. He can also boast of a touchdown reception in 2019. Vea has 5.5 sacks in two seasons and has made 24 starts while playing 29 games.
11. Dolphins: Minkah Fitzpatrick
Minkah Fitzpatrick was drafted by the Dolphins. He made the Pro Bowl in 2019 … as a Steeler. Miami sent Fitzpatrick to Pittsburgh for a first-round pick during his second season.
10. Cardinals: Josh Rosen
The Cardinals probably wish they had a do-over on this pick. They drafted Josh Rosen out of UCLA. The marriage suffered a brutal first year and Rosen was traded to Miami after Arizona drafted Kyler Murray with the first overall pick in 2019. Rosen has fared no better with the Dolphins. Rapidly heading toward bust material.
9. 49ers: Mike McGlinchey
Mike McGlinchey will be playing the Super Bowl Sunday. That’s one thing on his NFL resume that Lamar Jackson doesn’t have … yet. McGlinchey made the All-Rookie team. A trivia note: McGlinchey is a cousin of Falcons QB Matt Ryan.
8. Bears: Roquan Smith
Roquan Smith was a member of the All-Rookie team in 2018. He had five sacks as rookie and saw that number drop to two in 2019.
7. Bills: Josh Allen
Josh Allen got the Bills to the playoffs in his second season as quarterback. He has proven to be a dual threat, throwing for more than 5,000 yards already and rushing for another 1,141 while averaging almost six yards per carry.
6. Colts: Quenton Nelson
Quenton Nelson has started every game for the Colts over his first two seasons. The guard is a two-time Pro Bowler and has mega-star written all over his career.
5. Broncos: Bradley Chubb
Bradley Chubb had a great rookie season and fell victim to the injury bug in his second year. The linebacker had 12 sacks in 2018. He played in four games in 2019 before suffering a partial tear of an ACL.
4. Browns: Denzel Ward
Denzel Ward has yet to play a full season for the Browns, seeing action in 25 games while making 24 starts. Ward has five picks for Cleveland. He was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
3. Jets: Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold has had moments with the Jets. His second season was impacted by a case of mono. Darnold, who played college ball at USC, has thrown 36 TD passes against 28 picks while making 26 starts.
2. Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley had an incredible rookie season for the Giants, who drafted him out of Penn State. However, Barkley suffered an ankle injury in his second season and it severely curtailed his stats in 2019.
1. Browns: Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield and the Browns showed progress in his rookie season. However, the hype and headlines turned into turmoil in 2019 and the quarterback did not progress.
32. Lamar Jackson
Lamar Jackson was named NFL MVP in his second season. The dazzling Baltimore quarterback set the rushing mark for a quarterback in the NFL in 2019. Jackson rushed for 1,206 yards. He also threw for 3,127 yards and 36 touchdowns. Jackson has rushed for 1,901 yards and passed for 4,328 yards as a Raven.
