One of the more intriguing names that remained afloat in the second half of the first round was former Louisville star quarterback Lamar Jackson. Among the batch of top projected players at his position in this year's draft class, he had remained largely on the outside looking in for that group.
However, Jackson was able to be the fifth quarterback taken in the first round being selected by the Baltimore Ravens, who moved into the 32nd spot to snag him. According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Ravens had initially some significant interest in possibly taking him with the 16th overall pick before trading down.
Article Continues BelowPer multiple sources, there was a movement in the Baltimore draft room to take Lamar Jackson with the 16th overall pick.
The Ravens were long believed to be one of the teams that had some real interest in landing the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, but instead elected to move down to the 22nd overall spot with the Buffalo Bills to acquire additional draft picks by picking up third and fifth-round selections. Following that move, Baltimore moved back again three more spots to add fourth and sixth round picks in a trade with the Tennessee Titans.
What is most telling about all of this is that the Ravens had moved back into the first round to get Jackson while he was still on the board. This at the very least signals that Joe Flacco's time with the team may be coming to an end sooner than expected. Jackson has a chance to show the organization that he can be the long-term answer under center.
Simply put, Baltimore got the quarterback that they have been eyeballing for quite some time that could be a game-changing talent at the next level behind his dual-threat ability as both a passer and runner that could lift the franchise to success over the next decade.