Daniel Jeremiah, an NFL Network analyst, would prefer to start over when it comes to rating Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson as an NFL prospect.
Jeremiah remarked on Wednesday, “I wish I could go back and have a higher grade on Lamar.” “He was my 32nd player, I believe.”
Jackson was actually ranked 39th by Jeremiah in his final draft rankings, seven spots lower than the Ravens’ selection of him following a trade-up with the Philadelphia Eagles for the last first-round pick.
While Jeremiah didn’t have him ranked the highest out of insiders and draft sites (Mel Kiper had Jackson at 15th and PFF had him at 19th), he was one of the closest to predict where Jackson would go. But none – including those who ranked him highest – predicted what Jackson would one day become: a two-time NFL MVP, one vote short of being the first two-time unanimous MVP.
Coach John Harbaugh said at the 2024 NFL Combine, “Obviously, would anybody say we made a bad decision when we drafted him back in 2018?” “But a lot of people were saying that at the time.”
It wasn’t just NFL draft experts who misjudged Jackson. Jackson was rated three stars out of five coming out of high school by ESPN.com and 247Sports, two of the major websites in the country for prospect evaluation. Even though Rivals.com gave him a higher ranking, he was still not awarded the required five stars. Jackson continued on to win the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore and place third in the junior Heisman voting.
However, as recent history demonstrates, evaluating quarterbacks is difficult.
The No. 1 choice from the previous season, Bryce Young, did not immediately benefit the Carolina Panthers, albeit it may be premature to draw conclusions after just one season. There were only three quarterbacks selected in the first round, and the Houston Texans’ No. 2 pick, CJ Stroud, was the only one to stand out right away.
Kenny Pickett was the lone quarterback selected in the first round in 2022. After two seasons, he was no longer the starting quarterback, and the Steelers added Justin Fields along with experienced quarterback Russell Wilson.
Leave a Reply