In my fantasy league, the Corn League, I have a bit of a reputation.
“Cursed,” one owner called me.
“Bad,” said another one.
Perhaps these analyses are correct. I’m no stranger to making high-risk/low-reward decisions. I once drafted Stephen Gostkowski in the fifth round. I also drafted Tim Tebow… when he was a free agent. Most recently, I traded all of my picks in the 2018 draft for literally nothing (I got them back though).
This year my gutsy move is Lamar Jackson. And this time, my all-or-nothing draft pick will finally pan out.
Reason I – Jackson’s Pedigree
Lamar Jackson was a three-year starter at Louisville. In his three years, Jackson set Louisville, ACC, and NCAA records left and right. He’s second all-time in total yards in ACC history. He’s also twenty-third all-time in total TDs in NCAA history.
Oh yeah, he’s also the fourth sophomore to win the Heisman since 1935.
I think this statistic best encapsulates Jackson’s dominance: As a quarterback, he led the ACC in rushing touchdowns twice. Allow me to repeat that.
Lamar Jackson- a quarterback- led the ACC- a division with schools like Clemson and Miami- in rushing yards; a feat 99.99% of the time completed by running backs. And, he did this TWICE — while ALSO throwing the second most touchdowns in the conference.
Jackson fell to the 32nd pick in the 2018 draft, the fifth of five first round quarterbacks. That leads me to the second reason I drafted him…
Reason II – The Ravens Paid Big
April 26, 2018. About 11:30 p.m. EST. Baltimore GM Ozzie Newsome and Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman reached an agreement.
The Eagles traded their 2018 first round pick and their 2018 fourth round pick for the Ravens second and fourth round picks, as well as their 2019 second round pick.
Those picks became Jackson, WR Jaleel Scott, TE Dallas Goedert, and CB Avonte Maddox, respectively.
As the armchair GM that I am, I’d like to point out that trading two seconds and a fourth to move up 20 spots for a bench-warmer is a gutsy move.
The last time the Ravens paid so much for a first round QB?
Reason III – Joe Flacco
In 2008, the Ravens sent their first, third, and sixth round picks (Duane Brown, Steve Slaton, and Dominique Barber) to move up just eight spots in the first round. Newsome, who’s been the Raven’s GM since 2002, selected Joe Flacco: a solid quarterback, yet far from the best in his class, from a school not necessarily recognized as a football powerhouse.
Sound familiar?
Rookie head coach John Harbaugh chose the rookie Flacco as his Week 1 starter, and the two have been a mainstay in the NFL since. Neither has played/coached an NFL game without the other on the roster/payroll. The two are 102-67 together and won Super Bowl XLVII in 2013.
It’s hard to imagine Jackson will step immediately into the starting role, but Flacco has seen the beginning of the end in recent years. Since they won Super Bowl XLVII, the Ravens have been to the playoffs just once in a division that boasts the Bengals and Browns.
Aside from his rookie year and his shortened 2015 season (due to a torn ACL), Flacco posted career lows in yards per attempt and touchdowns.
Need I have more proof to show 33-year-old Flacco is on his way out?
So … Why Draft Jackson?
In my six-ish years of playing fantasy, I’ve noticed two mentalities when drafting a bench. You can:
a) Draft great depth just in case your top three RBs all go down, or
b) Draft sleepers on sleepers on sleepers.
I employ the latter strategy.
For reference: in addition to Lamar Jackson, my bench consists of OJ Howard and Mike Williams. Both are high ceiling players who just need a little nudge to put them on the brink of stardom (in my opinion).
I was able to scoop up Jackson with my final pick. I’d already gotten my kicker and defense of choice (Matt Prater and the Falcons, for those wondering).
Year-in and year-out Jackson showed that he is a presence in both the run and pass game. Run a nickel defense, he’ll make you pay by running the ball himself. Stack the box to stop the read option? He’ll use his cannon of an arm to beat you downfield. There’s no reason to believe this versatile skillset won’t translate to the NFL.
Worst case scenario? Jackson doesn’t play, Flacco plays all 16 games, and I waste a pick I would’ve normally used on a kicker.
Best case scenario? I picked the next Cam Newton while other guys were more focused on post-draft trades than the actual pick they were making.