Ravens GM Eric DeCosta Explains Avoiding Lamar Jackson Before 2018 NFL Draft

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is arguably the front-runner for the league MVP at the moment. But when the Ravens drafted him 32nd overall in the 2018 NFL draft, they did so after quarterbacks Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Josh Rosen came off the board.  

As general manager Eric DeCosta—then the assistant general manager to Ozzie Newsome—told Peter King of NBC Sports, the Ravens concealed their interest in Jackson to ensure they were able to land him after pulling off several trades on draft day:

"Drafts are strange like that. It's just Ozzie and me at the end of the table, the only ones who really know. When you're trying to make a decision as important as that, you try and keep it as quiet as you can. Because it's not that you don't want to share it with people, but the downside—which would be losing the player—is much greater than the upside of sharing the information with somebody that you care about.

"We didn't even interview Lamar at the combine because we didn't want to be associated with him. We didn't want rumors about us and him to start. They didn't. We were proud of that. So we pick him, and to hear him talk, and to hear his emotion and to see Lamar on TV with Deion Sanders, so happy, and to see his conviction, and to see his competitiveness. That's a powerful thing. So, after the pick was announced, we hadn't even had the chance to tell the scouts and coaches."

Baltimore was busy on the day it drafted Jackson. The Ravens started with the No. 16 overall pick but flipped that to Buffalo for Nos. 22 and 65. They didn't stop there, flipping No. 22 to Tennessee for Nos. 25 and 125. They used the No. 25 overall pick to select tight end Hayden Hurst. 

But Baltimore still had their sights set on Jackson and pulled the trigger on a trade with Philadelphia to acquire the No. 32 overall pick for the No. 52 pick and a 2019 second-rounder. Philadelphia, in turn, used that pick to trade up to No. 49 to select Dallas Goedert, while the 2019 selection became running back Miles Sanders. Both players have become important playmakers in Philadelphia. 

Baltimore, however, ended up with an MVP front-runner. 

"I think it's probably the first time in my 24 years that you could hear cheering outside the draft room," DeCosta said of selecting Jackson. "You could hear the coaches and you could hear the scouts. That was a powerful moment for us."

And Jackson has changed the trajectory of the Baltimore franchise. Upon becoming the starter last season in November, he led the team to a 6-1 record, transforming the Ravens' mediocre offense and leading them to the postseason. 

He struggled in his first postseason action, a 23-17 loss against the Los Angeles Chargers, leaving questions whether Jackson could ever be as effective a passer as he is a runner.

He's answered them this season, leading Baltimore to an 8-2 record. This year, he's thrown 2,258 yards, 19 touchdowns and five interceptions, completing 66.3 percent of his passes, while also rushing 115 times for 788 yards and six scores. He's become the gold standard for dual-threat quarterbacks, and Baltimore has arguably emerged as the front-runner in the AFC in the process. 

All the Ravens have done in their past four games is beat Seattle, New England, Cincinnati and Houston. Three of those teams are playoff contenders, and in those three wins, Jackson has thrown for five touchdowns and zero interceptions and rushed for 263 yards and three scores. 

And those types of performances have earned the impassioned support of his teammates.

"The MVP front-runner," running back Mark Ingram said after the win over Houston Sunday. "If anybody got to say something different about that, then come see me. I'm right here in B'more outside the Bank. I'm 'bout that. Big Trust. Woot woot. Lamar Jackson. In the flesh! Yes sir."

It's getting harder and harder to argue otherwise.