Eric Weddle: Lamar Jackson 'As Talented of a Player That I've Seen'

Baltimore Ravens safety Eric Weddle said rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson has "a long way to go," but he praised his natural playmaking ability after seeing the Louisville product in organized team activities.

On Thursday, Kevin Patra of NFL.com passed along comments Weddle made about the first-round pick during an appearance on NFL Network's Good Morning Football.

"He's been great. Obviously you know why we took him," he said. "He's as talented of a player that I've seen coming into my 12th year. He's got a live arm; he can sling it. Obviously, his ability to run and shake guys—you see it in team drills where things break down, he gets out on the perimeter and guys aren't even close to him."

Baltimore traded up to acquire the 32nd pick in the 2018 draft to select Jackson.

The 21-year-old Florida native won the Heisman Trophy in 2016 and is coming off a collegiate career where he threw for 9,043 yards, rushed for 4,132 yards and accounted for 119 total offensive touchdowns in 38 games with the Cardinals.

Weddle went on to say that Jackson has a "bright future," but he noted the offense still runs through incumbent starter Joe Flacco for the time being.

"But he's got a long way to go. He's a rookie," Weddle said. "It's hard to make that transition, especially for quarterbacks that come from those crazy offenses that they're doing nowadays. But [offensive coordinator] Marty [Mornhinweg] is doing a great job implementing a lot of the stuff he did, along with Joe."

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh confirmed after the team drafted Jackson that Flacco remains the starter.