Oh no, Joe. Your replacement is on his way.
Lamar Jackson’s long Thursday night wait at the 2018 NFL Draft finally ended when the Ravens made the Louisville quarterback the final first-round pick after a trade with the Eagles.
It means time now is officially running out on the Joe Flacco era in Baltimore. Sooner than later, the fifth QB selected overall in 2018 will be replacing No. 5.
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Thus, the retiring Ozzie Newsome’s final first-round pick as Ravens general manager was a memorable one. It also saved Jackson from the indignity of spending an entire night in the draft’s green room without being chosen in the first round as projected.
As others were drafted ahead of him — including fellow quarterbacks Baker Mayfield (Browns), Sam Darnold (Jets), Josh Allen (Bills) and Josh Rosen (Cardinals) — Jackson supporters made their presence known via social media. Among them was Giants wide receiver Odelll Beckham Jr.
"@Lj_era8 is one of the realest things I’ve ever seen," Beckham wrote on his Twitter account. "How has nobody taken him?"
Here’s an explanation: Every draft prospect gets put through the public ringer for months thanks to perceived football flaws or off-field concerns. The wise ones ignore the outside noise. Jackson didn't.
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How much toll that process has taken was evident in an interview co-host Torry Holt and I did Wednesday with Jackson for SiriusXM NFL Radio. Unprompted, Jackson was the one who brought up what he felt were inaccurate reports about how he was difficult for teams to reach in scheduling workouts and interviews. The perception is that Jackson’s decision to use his mother as a de facto representative rather than a certified agent created problems that could have been prevented. It also raised questions about whether more related headaches will be forthcoming in the pros that could be prevented with a more experienced advisor.
Jackson claimed all of it was overblown — and some members of the agent community trying to get in on the action are to blame.
"(Reports) were saying it’s hard to get in touch with me, but it wasn't that,” Jackson said. “There’s a lot of agents and stuff calling my phone off different numbers, so sometimes I wouldn't pick up. But when I find out it's an NFL team, I called them back right away.
"I went on visits with the Saints, Patriots, Browns, Cincinnati and Ravens. You know they don't put that out there."
Other red flags were raised. Although results are supposed to remain confidential, Jackson reportedly scored a 13 on the 50-point Wunderlic test given to draft prospects. The exam is designed to evaluate aptitude for learning and problem-solving, which are key elements for all that is expected of an NFL quarterback.
Jackson bashers say his test score is a harbinger of things to come; that he would be better off using his superb athleticism at wide receiver a la Terrelle Pryor, who incidentally posted the second-lowest Wunderlic score for a quarterback (7) ever recorded.
Then again, two Pro Football Hall of Fame QBs, Terry Bradshaw and Jim Kelly, didn’t score much higher (15) than Jackson did. Plus, Jackson admits he can’t catch anything more than a shotgun snap. And just to deter any teams that did envision moving him to receiver, Jackson refused to run the 40-yard dash for NFL scouts. He did say the best time he ever logged was 4.34 seconds — and that was while dealing with a bout of turf toe.
As for any on-field passing flaws that need correcting, Jackson spent extensive pre-draft time with his quarterbacks coach Joshua Harris in South Florida doing “figure-eight” drills and "a lot of throwing outside the pocket" trying to improve his mechanics.
"They say I can’t throw — my elbow stays dropped and stuff like that — and I had a narrow base coming out of college," Jackson said. "I've been working on that a lot and keeping my legs shoulder-width apart when I'm throwing, stepping up in the pocket or just getting out of it."
Ex-Buccaneers general manager Mark Dominik says the work won’t stop there in the NFL.
"There are things that have to be worked out that you can only do on the field," Dominik told Sporting News. “You know you’re getting a super athlete. The problem is he's so used to being able to tuck the ball and run. Coaches have to fix that so there’s a little pause and making sure Lamar goes through his progressions and looks for that final checkdown rather than tucking and running.
"Because of his size, you're not going to want to see that all the time at the NFL level. Otherwise, he’ll end up being Hurt Jackson rather than Action Jackson."
Finally, here’s one knock you won’t hear every day. Sporting News has learned that at least two NFL teams had concerns about whether Jackson annunciates well enough to effectively call plays in the huddle. That about covers Jackson’s perceived flaws.
Ravens fans should now take a deep breath and relax the same way Jackson did when he took the stage at AT&T Stadium in his emerald-green suit to hug NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Too many times during the draft blather, the negatives surrounding a great college player overshadow the positive ones. It becomes easy to forget those moments that helped catch the NFL’s attention in the first place.
In Jackson’s case, they began as a freshman in 2015, when he set the school’s single-season rushing record for a quarterback with 960 yards. The following year, Jackson’s legs and throwing arm helped him become the youngest Heisman Trophy winner (19 years, 338 days) to date.
And while he didn't capture the award again in 2017, Jackson posted almost identical rushing and passing statistics while improving his completion percentage from 56.2 to 59.1. That proves complacency never set in.
The Ravens are hoping Flacco can rebound in 2018 from three straight mediocre seasons by surrounding him with better offensive talent. Three wide receivers were signed in free agency (Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead), and South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst was drafted earlier in the first round at No. 25.
Still, it’s fair to wonder whether the additions are enough to make Flacco the difference-maker he was when he led Baltimore to victory in Super Bowl 47. At age 33 and with a mounting injury history, the odds are against it. Plus, the Ravens now have a viable way to get out of the $63 million in base salary remaining on the final three years of Flacco’s contract, which is set to expire after the 2021 campaign.
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Jackson is the heir apparent Baltimore had put off drafting while hoping Flacco would revert to his old form. Jackson’s confidence is such that he proclaimed himself a “Super Bowl-winning quarterback” in the aftermath of Thursday’s selection.
He might not have to wait long to start trying to prove it, either. Jackson's skill set should be especially intriguing for the Ravens since assistant head coach Greg Roman helped create packages that led to Colin Kaepernick flourishing when both were with San Francisco.
Speaking of the 49ers, general manager John Lynch offered praise of Jackson when asked whether the QB made the right move in not trying to convert to wide receiver before the draft.
“His success at the quarterback position speaks for itself,” Lynch said of Jackson at the NFL Combine.
So does Baltimore’s faith in Flacco by choosing Jackson.
Alex Marvez can be heard from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET Friday and 8 a.m. to noon ET Saturday on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
