The Baltimore Ravens made a splash in the 2018 NFL Draft when they traded up to take former Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson with the last pick of the first round. It seems he has already made a good impression with head coach John Harbaugh.
The one knock on Jackson throughout the draft process were the concerns about his accuracy. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Harbaugh refuted these reports after watching his new quarterback throw in practice:
Article Continues Below“The thing that I was really impressed with is I thought he was accurate,” Harbaugh told reporters on Saturday. “You read the reports and stuff like that but he’s a naturally talented thrower. He’s got natural arm talent. And that’s something that I think people were questioning. So to see him out here throwing the ball naturally and very accurately I thought was a big plus.”
It goes without saying that Jackson was one of the most electrifying players in college football over the past couple of seasons. But despite reports of him impressing teams during the pre-draft process, he apparently didn't make a good enough impression for teams to draft him much earlier in the first round. Perhaps doubts still remain about his accuracy and overall ability to translate his dynamic college game to the next level.
Fortunately, the Ravens finally decided to take a chance on Jackson and his undoubted talent. Not only is he under the tutelage of one of the best coaches in the NFL, but he will have plenty of time to develop behind quarterback Joe Flacco.