Ravens' Lamar Jackson Snubbed in Draft Rankings?

It's easy to forget now, but heading into the 2018 NFL Draft, Lamar Jackson faced plenty of doubts about his viability as a professional quarterback. Those doubts nearly caused him to fall out of the first round, until the Baltimore Ravens traded up to select him with the No. 32 pick, the final one of the night.

Seven years later, it's safe to say they made the right decision.

Jackson, 28, has accomplished just about everything a player could hope for in the NFL short of winning a Super Bowl. He's won two MVP awards, earned three first-team All-Pro nods and set the record for career rushing yards by a quarterback, and that's just scratching the surface.

For the No. 32 pick, the Ravens got value from Jackson that is nearly impossible to surpass. "Nearly" being the key word there, however.

When going over the best draft pick at every single slot in NFL history, ESPN's Ben Solak chose Drew Brees, the No. 32 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, as the best pick from that slot over Jackson.

"Picking between Brees and Lamar Jackson was agonizing, so I chickened out and picked the guy whose career is over, and as such requires no prognostication," Solak wrote. "While Brees never won a regular-season MVP, he did win a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP, and I imagine Jackson would trade his two MVPs for Lombardi hardware right about now. This pick might flip by next season, though ..."

Unlike Jackson, Brees was not a first-round pick. Remember that there were only 31 NFL teams in 2001 as the Houston Texans didn't exist yet, so Brees was actually the first pick of the second round, rather than the final pick of the first round. Perhaps that could've had a role in Solak's decision as well.

Of course, Brees had an absolutely incredible career as well. In 20 years, he earned 13 Pro Bowl selections, won Offensive Player of the Year twice and Comeback Player of the Year once, and most importantly, won Super Bowl XLIV in 2009. It's hard not to see him being a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible next year.

If Jackson continues to play at an elite level and wins a Super Bowl of his own, however, he could easily take this title in the future.