The NFL has officially handed down a near-$5,000 penalty on Indianapolis Colts safety Julian Blackmon for lowering his helmet and hitting Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson during a tackle in their Week 9 game.

Via Mike Chappell of Fox Sports:

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Colts rookie safety Julian Blackmon was fined $4,951 for his hit on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in the second quarter. Blackmon was penalized on the play for lowering his head and initiating contact to Jackson with his helmet.

In addition, the league also fined Ravens safety DeShon Elliott, costing him an amount of $4,203. In that same contest, Elliott gave a hard hit to Colts tight end Jack Doyle, who snapped his head back. This gave the 30-year old a concussion, which forced him to miss their Thursday night win over the Tennessee Titans.

Blackmon's illegal hit was flagged immediately, while Elliot's wasn't.

Nonetheless, Blackmon is having spectacular debut campaign for the Colts. Indianapolis has certainly found a gem in the rookie out of Utah after they selected him in the third round of the 2020 draft.

It's been less than a year since the 22-year old suffered a torn ACL in the 2019 Pac-12 Championship Game, but he is already showing a lot of promise in his rookie season. Blackmon has been a key part of Indianapolis' success this season, where they have a 6-3 record.

Proving that he could be one of the steals in this year's rookie class, Blackmon is one of the top candidates to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.