The Baltimore Ravens traded back into the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft and selected Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson with the 32nd overall pick, and the past few seasons have shown that it was well worth the capital that they gave up. Aside from unanimously being voted as the league’s MVP in 2019, Jackson has also broken the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single-season, brought the team back from multiple deficits to win games, and holds a 37-12 record as a starting quarterback. His dual-threat ability shows on the field, and people often take notice.
Former Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III named his top five quarterbacks to a start a franchise with, and coming in at the top of the list was his former teammate in Jackson at No. 1. Griffin has long-been a supporter of the former Louisville star, and expressed plenty of confidence in him by placing him at the front of his list.
Top 5 QBs to Start a Franchise With
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/qMg6bJoKqs
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 15, 2022
Griffin received multiple replies to his tweet with some disagreeing with where Jackson was ranked. When defending his opinion, Griffin said that Jackson does not have the same talent around him that Mahomes had and that the Ravens’ quarterback plays with a different style by having escapability and big play production.
So are you saying Lamar has the same level of talent around him as Mahomes has had his entire career? Also Lamar plays the game different so it’s not just about arm talent and Lamar’s escapability and big play production is not matched by anyone.
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 15, 2022
Jackson’s importance to the team shows every time he takes a snap. Following a bone bruise suffered in Week 14 against the Cleveland Browns, Jackson missed the final portion of the 2022 regular season, where Baltimore would not win a game and end up missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017, finishing with an 8-9 record.
Through his four NFL seasons, Jackson has a 64.1 completion percentage, 9,967 passing yards and 87 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 3,673 yards and 21 touchdowns.