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Nov 12, 2023; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton (14) celebrates with linebacker Roquan Smith (0) after scoring a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jessica Rapfogel-Imagn Images Jessica Rapfogel-Imagn Images

Six Ravens Crack ESPN's Top 100 Players Prediction

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Aug 26, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Baltimore Ravens have spent all summer earning predictions as one of the best teams fans should expect entering the 2025 NFL season. They've been favored to win the Super Bowl behind several accolade-worthy impact players, multiple of whom were recognized as such entering the final week of the offseason.

ESPN commemorated recent training camp developments with what we already know about the sport's most familiar faces in compiling their interpretation of the 100 best players entering the fall, rewarding the Ravens' meticulous team-building efforts with six selections, good for the third-most of any NFL team.

No Raven placed higher than Lamar Jackson at No. 4, a fitting achievement for their 2x MVP at quarterback. He's stacked up more impressive individual awards during his time in the league than any of his teammates, with his formidable team still projected to only go as far as he takes them.

Jackson was only surpassed by three players, but two of them were fellow quarterbacks in Kansas City Chiefs foil Patrick Mahomes and Buffalo Bills rival Josh Allen. He added another First Team All-Pro to his name in 2024, with a lack of playoff success still clearly weighing him down.

Jackson was closely flanked by Kyle Hamilton at No. 15, the top-ranked safety in the exercise. This was a big jump for the ascending star, who rang in at No. 47 this time a year ago. He's only been in the league for three seasons, but that's provided him with plenty of time to demonstrate his potential in a consistent, winning situation.

"Hamilton is one of the most versatile safeties in the game," Jamison Hensley wrote. Since he was selected in the first round in 2022, he is the only defensive back to total at least 15 tackles for loss, five sacks and five interceptions. With first-round pick Malaki Starks expected to play deep safety, Hamilton should line up closer to the line of scrimmage and disrupt more plays."

He was far from the only defensive Raven to earn a nod, with Roquan Smith getting a mention just inside the list's top half at No. 49 and Marlon Humphrey getting the call at No. 88.

The linebacker got some deserved consideration for his arrival as one of the game's top linebackers since arriving in Baltimore, consolidating the interior defense by becoming the youngest player to ever accrue 1,000 NFL tackles, while the Ravens' top cornerback's bounce-back season got him right back onto the list with which he was once a regular on.

Jackson's personal top defender, center Tyler Linderbaum, was also thrown a bone. The 73rd-best player entering 2025 has helped usher in some of the best football of the Jackson era, with the Ravens allowing the third-fewest sacks (24) in last season's No. 1 rushing offense, according to Hensley.

Jackson has benefitted from Linderbaum's pass block win rate more than anyone, getting a regularly clean pocket to operate within, but Derrick Henry has similarly feasted. The All-Pro running back's already-impressive career has received a second wind alongside his rushing partner, with his league-leading 16 touchdowns on the ground has catapulted right back into ESPN's favor at No. 29.

"There are no signs of slowing down for Henry, who is the NFL's active leader in rushing yards (11,423) and touchdowns (106)," Hensley wrote. "Using his signature stiff arm and breakaway speed, he looked rejuvenated while playing alongside quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has taken the defensive focus off Henry."

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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