Ravens' Roquan Smith Ranked Behind Only One Other LB

Throughout NFL history, some of the greatest players to ever lace up their cleats have played off-ball linebacker, including Dick Butkus, Jack Lambert and the Baltimore Ravens' own Ray Lewis.

Now, though, it seems the position has been somewhat devalued. Of course, there are still some great players at the position, but it feels like very few of them are the centerpieces of their defenses like they were in the past.

Luckily, the Ravens still have one of the best in the game in Roquan Smith. Smith, 28, has been a first-team All-Pro in each of his three seasons in Baltimore, and is the undsiputed leader of the entire unit.

In a poll conducted by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, NFL coaches and executives ranked Smith as the second best off-ball linebacker in the league, only behind Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers.

"To fully appreciate Smith is to look past the numbers," Fowler wrote. "He's not the classic stat-stuffer, with modest production in the passing game (four deflections, one interception) and splash plays (one forced fumble, 1.5 sacks). Four of his 81 solo tackles were for a loss. But he's the type of player whom opponents — and even fans inside the stadium or through the TV — perceive as a true tone-setter, with blitz ability, leverage and mental edge."

"Smith is coming off his third consecutive first-team All-Pro season, and his run-stop percentage of 5.6 (tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage on designed runs) was second among all linebackers and the best among the top 10."

An AFC executive said of Smith: "Roquan isn't necessarily the most physically talented, but he's very productive in both phases, is the catalyst for their defense in the middle of the field and a guy you have to account for in phases. When you factor all that plus the elite leadership he brings and attitude for their team, I think he deserves to be up there."

There doesn't seem to be any real consensus on the best linebackers beyond Warner, who was ranked first or second on every ballot. Two voters ranked Smith at No. 10, while every other linebacker in the top 10 had at least one voter leave them off the list entirely. Again, it speaks to the state of the position right now.

That said, Smith is still a huge piece of the Ravens' success, even if 2024 may have been a down year by his standards.