Ravens Hit Home Run in 2022 NFL Draft

The Baltimore Ravens have had plenty of great drafts over the years, but it's hard to think of a class more impactful than the one from 2022.

Even when looking at strictly the first round, they added key players on both sides of the ball who are now among the league's best at their positions.

With their own pick at No. 14 overall, they added star safety Kyle Hamilton, who many had as a top-10 player going into the draft. Then after a pair of trades, they added center Tyler Linderbaum, an anchor up front who should dominate for several more years, at No. 25 overall.

The 2025 NFL Draft is now just around the corner, and many analysts are looking back on previous drafts through different lenses. When looking at the best picks of the past decade, FOX Sports' Greg Auman named both Hamilton and Linderbaum as the best at their respective draft positions.

"Hamilton has two Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro nod in the last two years, earning the spot here," Auman wrote. "You don't see safeties in the top half of the draft much these days, but Hamilton has shown it can be a worthwhile pick. ...

"Linderbaum has two Pro Bowls in his three NFL seasons and graded as Pro Football Focus' No. 3 center this past season. It can be hard to choose a young player like this when there are veterans with much more experience taken in the same slot, but Linderbaum gets the nod as a consistent young centerpiece on Baltimore's line."

Both Hamilton and Linderbaum have established themselves as NFL stars, and they've done so on very affordable rookie contracts. The time to pay up is quickly approaching, though, as both are eligible for extensions starting this offseason. The Ravens will do everything they can to sign both to long-term deals, however costly it may be.

The best part is that the Ravens' great finds didn't stop in the first round. In the third round, they added starting defensive lineman Travis Jones, who showed early last season he can dominate and open up opportunities for his teammates. In the fourth round, they selected guard Daniel Faalele as well as tight ends Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely, the latter of whom could be a successor to Mark Andrews.

As the Ravens look to sign all of these players this offseason and beyond, they have to appreciate just how well they did for themselves in this draft.