The best Baltimore Ravens not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Ravens are a young franchise, but at least one Baltimore player deserves more attention from the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Baltimore’s current football franchise only came into existence in 1996, making it one of the most recent additions to the NFL. The Ravens are such a young organization that they don’t have long-forgotten stars yet. However, there are still a few former stars who passed through the team’s locker room that haven’t received the respect they deserve from fans and the media.
Today, we’ll examine the best Baltimore Ravens not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Click on the Cincinnati Bengals link below for the rules I used to put this article together and background on the Hall of Fame voting process.
Previous editions: Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers
*All statistics come from Pro Football Reference since NFL.com has incomplete information
Baltimore Ravens Hall of Fame Candidates
Best Candidate: Jamal Lewis, RB (2000-2009)
The Ravens picked Lewis at fifth overall in 2000. The Tennessee product made an immediate impact, rushing for 1,364 yards as a rookie. Baltimore won the Super Bowl that season behind a dominant defense and a ground game that featured Lewis and Priest Holmes. Lewis ran for 102 yards and a touchdown as his team topped the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.
Lewis missed the entire 2001 season before bouncing back with another 1,300-yard rushing performance in 2002. However, the Georgia native’s career peaked in 2003, when he ran for 14 touchdowns and a league-leading 2,066 yards. At the time, Lewis was only the fifth running back to top 2,000 yards in a single season. The stellar campaign won Lewis a First-Team All-Pro selection and the Offensive Player of the Year award.
Former Ravens general manager and Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome supports Lewis’ case. The legend told The Baltimore Sun that Lewis was one of the game’s most explosive players,
“They talk about Randy Moss, how he could strike from any part of field. Jamal could do that, on any carry, he could take it the distance. Always a threat. Defenses knew if we don’t get this guy, he is going to take it to the house,” Newsome explained. “There are very few guys you can say that about. Jamal was so big, so big and so powerful, and he could get to his top speed in a hurry.”
“Hopefully, this will get people’s attention,” Newsome said. “If you look at his career and compare to those who have gotten in the Hall the last five years, Jamal rates some serious discussion. Jamal was our bell cow. Now everybody is playing with two, sometimes three backs, but Jamal was going to be on the field 85 to 90 percent of the time. He was going to get his 25 to 30 carries, and those carries were inside the hashes.”
Former Raven and Hall of Fame left tackle Jonathan Ogden also weighed in, saying, “Jamal Lewis, without a doubt, deserves consideration for the Hall of Fame. He was definitely the main engine in our offense for years. He had the 2,000-yard season and Pro Bowls but didn’t have the luxury of playing with great quarterbacks to take the pressure off of him in the running game.”
The Pro Football Hall of Fame selected Lewis for the 2000s All-Decade Team. His entire ten-year career played out during the decade, and he retired with 10,607 rushing yards.
Lewis spent six seasons (seven years) with the Ravens before a three-year stint with the Browns. He retired as Baltimore’s all-time leader in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns.
Honorable Mention: Derrick Mason, WR (1997-2011)
I generally try to list players under the teams they spent most of their careers with. However, I’m making an exception for Mason, who spent eight seasons in Tennessee compared to six with the Ravens. The Michigan State product’s most productive years in terms of per game averages came in Baltimore, which is why he’s eligible for this spot.
Mason entered the NFL as a fourth round pick in 1997. He began his career as a kick and punt returner, earning First-Team All-Pro honors as a return man in 2000. However, he began earning recognition as a wide receiver in 2001 with the first of eight 1,000-yard seasons. After four 1,000-yard campaigns and two Pro Bowls in Tennessee, Mason arrived in Baltimore.
The transition ended Mason’s time as a return man, but he continued to work as an effective wide receiver. The Michigan native led the Ravens in receiving yards in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009.
While Mason never made an All-Decade team, he amassed 12,061 receiving yards, and his 17,150 all-purpose yards are the 19th-most of all-time. At the time of his retirement, Mason ranked 19th in career receiving yards, just ahead of Cowboys legend Michael Irvin.
Honorable Mention: Chris McAlister, CB (1999-2009)
McAlister spent ten of his 11 seasons with the Ravens. During that decade, the Arizona product earned three Pro Bowl bids and made All-Pro teams in 2003 and 2004. His 26 interceptions rank third in Ravens history (behind Ray Lewis and Ed Reed) and are the most by a Ravens cornerback.
McAlister was still getting his feet wet in the NFL when the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2000-01, but the former tenth overall pick made a significant impact. He intercepted four passes in 2000 and led the league with 165 return yards. McAlister also intercepted a Kerry Collins throw in Baltimore’s dominant Super Bowl XXXV victory.
Honorable Mention: Peter Boulware, LB (1997-2005)
Another crucial piece of the late 1990s/early 2000s Ravens defense, Boulware spent his entire career in the purple and black. Baltimore selected Boulware from Florida State with the fourth overall pick in 1997. All of those early picks around the turn of the century paid off for the Ravens as players like Boulware, McAlister, and Lewis became franchise cornerstones.
Boulware won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 1997. He made four Pro Bowls and earned a Second-Team All-Pro bid in 1999. Unfortunately, a knee injury in 2003 caused the South Carolina native to miss the entire 2004 season. Boulware returned to the Ravens in 2005, but he wasn’t the same player. He retired after that season.
Boulware’s 70 sacks are the second-most in Ravens history (trailing Terrell Suggs’ 132.5). Third place (Michael McCrary) only has 51 sacks.
Honorable Mention: Vonta Leach, FB (2004-2013)
The fullback position is quickly becoming obsolete in the NFL. However, Leach was undoubtedly one of the last great fullbacks of his era. He earned three consecutive First-Team All-Pro selections (2010-2012), including two with the Ravens. Leach retired with 158 touches, 889 yards from scrimmage, and eight total touchdowns. He was a true throwback for the position.
Some other top fullbacks around the turn of the 2010s included Le'Ron McClain and Mike Tolbert.