Four Ravens Stars Named as Players to Watch

The Baltimore Ravens wouldn't be as respected as they were without their deep roster, a well-balanced job by the team's front office to ensure that every position is as well-covered as possible with a mixture of veterans, prospects and stars currently in their prime.

Those stars, though, are the players who've helped take them to inner-circle contender status. Their hopes of finally breaking through for that big playoff run wouldn't be so tantalizing had they not the players to get it done, which they do.

PFF has just kicked off their 32-day run through of every NFL team in their annual slate of season previews, and they were sure to mention several key Ravens in placing a spotlight on the team's biggest potential game-changers. To no one's surprise, they started with 2x MVP Lamar Jackson, Baltimore's best player at its most important position.

"Jackson continued to produce at a historic rate in 2024, becoming the first quarterback in PFF history to earn 90.0-plus grades as both a passer and a rusher in the same season," Dalton Wasserman wrote. "He set career highs with a 6.3% big-time throw rate and just a 1.6% turnover-worthy play rate. His development as a dropback passer under offensive coordinator Todd Monken has left him with virtually no flaws."

He, alongside new battery mate Derrick Henry, look to contend for Offensive Player of the Year while dominating from the same backfield.

They only began their partnership last season, but instantly learned to coexist in one of the most devastating rushing pairing's the league's ever seen. Henry is still one of the toughest men to tackle in the open field, opening up the rest of the Ravens' deep assortment of scoring weapons.

"Henry roared into his thirties with the best season of his NFL career in 2024," Wasserman said. "He led the league with a 93.5 rushing grade and 89 missed tackles forced, while averaging a career-high 6.0 yards per carry. His symbiotic relationship with Lamar Jackson in the run game powered Baltimore’s offense, and the Ravens went a perfect 11-0 in games where Henry topped 90 rushing yards."

The season preview didn't just cover offensive players, even though Jackson and Henry are the two most statistically decorated Ravens on the 2025 roster. They wouldn't be who they are without Kyle Hamilton, the Swiss army knife in the secondary who easily slotted in as the best safety in the game last season.

"Hamilton entered the league with sky-high expectations, and he’s done everything to meet them," PFF's projection wrote. "He posted the first 90.0 PFF grade of his career in 2024, second among all safeties behind only Kirby Joseph. Hamilton was the NFL’s only safety last season to earn 80.0-plus grades in run defense, pass rush and coverage."

He made the Baltimore secondary click midway through last season, taking over as an inescapable playmaker to throw deep into the defensive backfield, the slot or right along the line.

What makes the Ravens impressive, though, is that he won't even have to carry the defensive effort. They have arguably the deepest cornerback room in the league, and added another young free safety to pair with Hamilton in the draft with first round pick Malaki Starks, who PFF named as the Ravens' rookie to watch.

"Starks was outstanding over three seasons at Georgia, earning an 87.5 PFF grade across nearly 2,500 snaps," Wasserman wrote. "His versatility adds to a Ravens secondary that may now feature the most versatile safety duo in the NFL."

They've earned their preseason appeal as one of the most well-rounded groups in the league, with the Super Bowl standing as the lone obvious goal standing between them and meeting expectations. They have the personnel to make it work, both in depth and at the top of each week's scouting report.