(Photo: Sporting News)
4. Lamar Jackson– And we are down to four. I truly believe he won’t be appreciated until he’s no longer in the league. Prior to being drafted, the analysts and draft experts said he should change his position because his style of play won’t last in the NFL. However, in his first full season starting, he leads the Baltimore Ravens to a 14-2 record, a division title and the top seed for the first time in franchise history and that same year, he won his first of two Most Valuable Player awards. Lamar Jackson, he is for real (I need my hip hop heads to sing that and then circle back to me), welcome back! He checks in as my fourth-best player in the NFL and my second-ranked Quarterback entering the 2025 season.
There are many great football players in our league at many different positions, but there is only one Lamar Jackson at the end of the day and one thing I will say is he has come such a long way from his college days with the Louisville Cardinals as his arm has become a lot stronger over the years. Lamar is Houdini in the pocket as one minute you think you have him and the next minute, he’s out the pocket and doing what he does best is showing the mobility. He’s one of the more versatile players in the leagues that can hurt a defense with his arm and feet and when he does both in the same game, it’s a long day for the defense. As a defense, the key with Lamar is patience which is easier said than done for someone who is always on the move. Playing against him is almost like playing a video game in real life because he’s so difficult to tackle and even when you think you have him for a sack, he finds ways to evade the pressure and keeps moving. Lamar’s vision has improved significantly since becoming an NFL Quarterback because if he can see the edge guys pursuing from the blind side, he’s able to spin out of it, slow down, cut on the dime and make the best possible play. You can think you have an angle on him and he just cuts back and finds his way through. Lamar is very quick and slippery in space which is another reason why he’s so difficult to tackle and bring down. The running will never change with him, but let’s talk about his pocket presence and how he has the confidence in himself to trust his arm and I’ve said for years when he drops back in the pocket, he’s looking to throw the football, but when the play is breaking down, that’s when he’s running and I feel he’s the most misunderstood player in the game because all people think he does is run, but that is far from the case. One of his best moments from last year took place in a playoff game against the Bills as his defense held Buffalo to three and got him the ball back. I just remember on that drive, he was so calm and poised in that pocket and connect on just about every pass.
For a guy that’s won two MVPs, he was unbelievable last year and took such great care of the football. I knew it would be scary with Lamar and Derrick Henry in the same backfield together and as a defense, you had to pick your poison on who it was you wanted to limit, but they both had phenomenal seasons. I remember when the Ravens drafted him with the last pick in the draft in 2018 and he still plays with that chip on his shoulder trying to prove himself week in and out. He was the catalyst of a Baltimore offense in 2024 that was ranked tops in the league.
