Zay Flowers, Kyle Hamilton among draft picks that earned Ravens’ No. 1 spot in the AFC

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

A string of smart draft decisions have gotten the Ravens in contention for another Super Bowl.

The Baltimore Ravens have been one of the league’s most consistent teams over the past decade while also playing in one of the best divisions in the NFL. Over the past 10 seasons, they’ve finished outside the Top 2 in the division only three times. At the same time, they’ve won three division crowns, including their latest this season.

In my opinion, the Ravens are among a small group of teams that seem to be able to do no wrong when it comes to roster building. Offseason after offseason. Draft after draft. The Ravens, along with clubs like the 49ers and the Eagles, consistently hit on their draft picks and free-agent signings at a higher rate than the majority of the league. These franchises are well-built by some of the best executives in the league. They have an established culture that permeates from the front office all the way down to the field, so it’s no surprise that success follows them all closely.

The Ravens specifically have had very strong drafts to begin this decade. They aren’t just hitting in regards of finding players that are contributing in some way, shape, or form. They’re finding legit future stars in almost every class. Their 2023 season has been a culmination of the work and time that they put into their scouting department as nearly double-digit players from their past four draft classes have helped pave the way to the AFC’s top seed.

So let’s take a look at who those players are and what role they’ve played in getting the Ravens to a 13-4 record with Lamar Jackson as the league’s presumed MVP.

WR Zay Flowers

16 starts, 16 games
77 receptions, 858 receiving yards, five touchdowns
Eight rushes, 56 rushing yards, one touchdown

Based on stats alone, Flowers was the second best receiver of the top four wideouts who went consecutively in last year’s first round. His 858 receiving yards and six total touchdowns were second to only Jordan Addison’s 911 and 10 scores. But in my opinion, the tape would tell you that Flowers was the best of the quarter as he did not play within an offense with inflated passing numbers due to negative game script.

Flowers led a very balanced Ravens offense in both receptions and yards in year one. He’s electric with the ball in his hands and it’s easy to see how well his game has translated to the modern NFL. He can also find success on the ground as he averaged seven yards per carry on eight totes while scoring a touchdown on a impressive jet sweep.

I think the Ravens finally found Lamar Jackson his WR1 of the future.

S Kyle Hamilton

19 starts, 31 games
Career stats: 109 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks, 18 passes defended, forced fumble, four interceptions

All-Pro (2023), Pro Bowl (2023)

After being the Raven’s top draft pick in 2022, Hamilton went from promising rookie to All-Pro player in just one offseason. This season, Hamilton stuffed the stat sheet with 81 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three sacks, 13 pass breakups, and four interceptions. To no surprise, he was named a First-Team All-Pro as the Raven’s top defensive player in 2023.

Hamilton’s versatility is something Baltimore will look to build around going forward, but how much building is there left to do after a year in which they led the NFL in multiple defensive categories, including total points allowed and sacks?

C Tyler Linderbaum

32 starts, 32 games
Pro Bowl (2023)

The Ravens absolutely crushed their 2022 draft class. This was one of those offseasons that invoked the “He can’t keep getting away with this!” meme from Breaking Bad. Over the last six seasons, the Ravens only have had one campaign end with less than 10 wins, which was the 8-9 2021 season. They turned that unusually down year (by their recent standards) into Hamilton and Linderbaum here, arguably one of the best center prospects in recent memory.

Who would have thought that both players would turn into Pro Bowl-level talents within their first two years? Well, that’s exactly what happened and the Ravens are benefitting greatly from another young offensive cornerstone.

DT Travis Jones

3 starts, 32 games
Career stats: 60 total tackles, five tackles for loss, three pass breakups, 2.5 sacks

This is where we get into some players who aren’t even starting for the Ravens that are still leaving their print on the team’s success.

Jones was a mid-round draft pick in 2022 who only has three starts to his name but he’s played in almost every game since the start of his rookie season. Despite none of those three starts coming this year, the giant space-eater still managed to record career highs in tackles (36), tackles or loss (four), and sacks (1.5). His TFLs and sacks are also the most by any player on the Ravens defense who did not start a single game.

TE Isaiah Likely

10 starts, 32 games
Career stats: 66 receptions, 784 receiving yards, eight touchdowns

Likely wasn’t even the first of the two tight ends the Ravens drafted in their 2022 class but he’s all of a sudden turned into one of the best backups on any NFL team. Following the severe injury to starter Mark Andrews, Likely took over and continued to produce at a high level. He ended the season with 411 yards and five touchdowns, good for fourth and tied for second most on the team, respectively.

The Ravens were the only team to finish with two tight ends amongst the top 25 at the position in terms of receiving yards, showing everyone just how important the position can be to the overall success of the offense.

Likely is a bit more “lightning” to Andrews’ “thunder” but you have to give it to offensive coordinator Todd Monken for finding a way to utilize both of them to the best of their abilities.

CB Brandon Stephens

31 starts, 48 games
189 total tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, .5 sack, 22 pass breakups

Stephens, a third-round out of SMU in 2021, is certainly one of the lesser-known players on this list but that doesn’t mean he’s been any less consistent of a contributor than his peers. The 6’1, 215-pounder has started almost two-thirds of his career games in Baltimore with the 2023 season being his first as a full-time starter. His two interceptions and 11 pass breakups are good for third and second on the team, respectively.

Whenever you can get a long-term starter at a premium position such as cornerback in the third round, you know you’re doing something right.

LB Patrick Queen

67 starts, 67 games
454 tackles, 37 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, four interceptions, 15 pass breakups, five forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries

The Ravens’ first-round pick in 2020, Queen has started all 67 games that he’s played in at the NFL level. He’s been productive all four seasons, topping 450 total tackles with 37 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, four picks, five pass breakups, five forced fumbles, and six fumble recoveries. When it comes to the field general of your defense, that level of stuffing the stat sheet is what you hope for.

Baltimore being able to pair him with Roquan Smith has given the Raves one of the best middle linebacker duos outside of the 49ers. Is it a coincidence that both team’s earned their conference’s top seed? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, Queen joined his teammate Smith on the Associated Press All-Pro team so you know they’re doing something right.

DT Justin Madubuike

47 starts, 59 games
153 total tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks, five pass breakups, forced fumble

After three average seasons, Madubuike reached a whole new level in 2023 with one heck of a breakout season for a defensive tackle. The former third-round pick out of Texas A&M recorded a whopping 13 sacks and 12 tackles for loss (both lead team) after combing for 8.5 and 17 through his first three campaigns.

Madubuike’s ability to rush the passer from the interior has only helped the rest of the team’s pass rushers as both Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy each notched at least nine sacks in 2023. He’s been the biggest reason the Ravens led the NFL in sacks this year.

S Geno Stone

19 starts, 31 games
127 total tackles, tackle for loss, 11 pass breakups, eight interceptions, fumble recovery, forced fumble

Talk about a glow up in the NFL.

Stone was drafted in the seventh round out of the University of Iowa in 2020. After starting just eight games in his first three seasons, he’s started 11 of 17 games in 2023 en route to leading the team with a whopping seven interceptions. That total sits behind only DaRon Bland of the Cowboys for the most in the NFL. His 68 total tackles and nine pass breakups were also career highs set this season.

The 5’10, 210-pound defender played a hybrid safety/linebacker role in college which made it tough to figure out his best spot in the NFL. Fortunately for the Ravens, it looked like they cracked the code which has been key in getting the most out of a player many would have expected to be off the team four seasons after being selected in the final round of the draft.