“Evaluating Jackson against the NFL standards for the position will cause him to come up short… Jackson’s accuracy is clearly spotty and teams must decide the level of accuracy they are willing to live with relative to his ability to create explosive plays.” The 32nd pick Ravens quarterback’s career began from a hypothesis, and today, the footballer has decided to leave a message for his snubs.
Everyone considered him unfit for the “pro-style system” due to statistics, but he took it as a challenge. He is the epitome of the sheer length a player can go to shut down all the snubs. The 2018 NFL draft is history, and when people talk about him, they will go back to where it all started. Despite the debauched debut, he has been the talk of the NFL village ever since he came to the Ravens.
While other star quarterbacks bask in glory, Lamar Jackson reminisces about his bittersweet beginning in the NFL on X (formerly Twitter). The twenty-eight-year-old quarterback shared a post on X regarding how insecure he was during the 2018 draft. “… had me feeling like 50,” Jackson said in five words, revealing how the league’s scouting needs an upgrade. He was the 32nd and last pick of the first round of the 2o18 draft, with the Eagles trading him to the Ravens. The two-time MVP with the most rushing yards by a QB, Jackson has come a long way.
3⃣2⃣ DAYS UNTIL THE DRAFT
The @Ravens traded up to take Lamar Jackson with the 32nd pick in 2018. He has since been a 3x First-Team All-Pro and 2x MVP @lj_era8 pic.twitter.com/vCi9ttZZfJ
— NFL (@NFL) March 23, 2025
Jackson was the fifth QB picked during the 2018 draft, following names like Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen. He did not make the top 10 picks, unlike those who preceded him. The Ravens’ decision to draft him came after they passed him for tight end Hayden Hurst. Jackson’s post reveals that he felt like a ” has-been” at the beginning of his NFL career. Jackson accepted the challenge, and with the Ravens backing him, he has since snuffed many snubs. The Ravens GM, Eric DeCosta, noted, “As we spent more time with him, things that stand out with him: competitiveness, humility, drive, all those factors that we believe in in players,” after Jackson’s draft.
Since his draft, Jackson has stood out amongst his fellow quarterbacks. In the 2024 season, Jackson has rushed 4172 yards, while Baker Mayfield has passed 4500 yards. Jackson is the only one among his peers who hasn’t moved from his original team. The four signal callers in the top-10 picks from the 2018 draft selected before him include:
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns (1st overall pick)
Sam Darnold, New York Jets (3rd overall pick)
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (7th overall pick)
Josh Rosen, Arizona Cardinals (10th overall pick)
It is not uncommon for top-pick QBs to switch jerseys during their career. While Mayfield and Darnold are already playing for their fourth team, Jackson is still going strong for the Ravens.
Lamar Jackson has since fought for his place in the Ravens, fighting his way to the #1 QB spot in 2024. Jackson’s post reveals that he felt like a “has-been” at the beginning of his NFL career. Jackson accepted the challenge, and with the Ravens backing him, he has since snuffed many snubs.
The flaws in traditional QB scouting
It seems like a good time for the old NFL scouting process to get a makeover. The pro-style system bias prefers its quarterback mold to be pocket passers with strong arms and pinpoint accuracy. It’s an outdated framework that has led to significant miscalculations when evaluating quarterbacks who don’t fit this mold.
Jackson’s skill set helped him exploit the capabilities of the pro-style snobs, and history tends to repeat itself. Evaluators questioned Jackson’s accuracy, ignoring his ability to dominate games as a dual-threat quarterback. Former Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian dismissed him as “Short and a little bit slight” before the 2018 draft to ESPN. This skepticism stemmed from a long-standing reluctance to embrace quarterbacks who rely heavily on mobility.
The modern NFL is evolving in a new direction that needs to learn from Jackson’s case study. His ability to extend plays with his legs, make off-platform throws, and stress defenses in ways traditional pocket passers cannot has become a model for teams seeking dynamic signal-callers. The Baltimore Ravens deserve credit for recognizing his potential and building an offensive system around his strengths.
With the 2025 NFL draft coming up, it is perhaps time that the pro-style snobs take a break. It’s time for the league to develop a taste for unique playmakers like Jackson. Can we expect more dual-threat quarterbacks in the future, or will Jackson remain the sole contender?
The post Ravens’ Lamar Jackson’s 5-Word Candid Confession After Facing Major Snub During NFL Draft appeared first on EssentiallySports.
