What You Need to Know:

• Jackson was the league MVP in 2019 and finished as the clear-cut QB1.
• In 2020, Jackson matched or nearly matched his 2019 output in completion rate (64.4%), YPA (7.3) and rushing scores (7).
• Jackson’s passing TDs dropped from 36 to 26; his attempts sunk from 401 to 376. Hence the fall to QB10.
• With little beyond Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews, the Ravens continued to orchestrate a run-heavy game plan. Jackson tallied 30+ attempts just twice all year (including the postseason).
• Jackson’s wheels remained on display. He became the 1st QB to ever rush for 1,000 yards in 2 separate seasons.
• Jackson easily led the league with 159 rush attempts — down from 176 in ’19, however.
• Stud LT Ronnie Stanley missed most of the season with a broken ankle. Two surgeries were required, but he should be ready for Week 1.
• OC Greg Roman returns for his 3rd season on staff with Jackson. As OC, his offenses have ranked 1st in rush attempts and yards over the past 2 seasons. No surprise with the league’s most athletic QB running the show.
• In May, he teased the following: “There are definitely some things that we’re doing, right now to evolve, and there are definitely some things people are going to see from us that they haven’t seen before…schematically-wise, though, we’re always going to change a little bit, and I’d probably say more so this year than we did last year.”
• New passing concepts are likely on the way after the Ravens used a Round 1 pick on WR Rashod Bateman and a Round 4 pick on Tylan Wallace. Bateman looks pro-ready with excellent separation skills and inside/out versatility.
• The Ravens also added Sammy Watkins, 28, who’s capable of supplying a boost in spurts.
• Baltimore dealt RT Orlando Brown over the offseason. But with additions like RT Alejandro Villaneuva, OG Kevin Zeitler and rookie OG Ben Cleveland, this unit looks like a strength.

Draft Sharks Bottom Line:

After a truly remarkable 2019, Jackson took a predictable step back last fall. The takeaway: Never bet on any QB repeating a 9% TD rate.

Still, there were encouraging signs here. Jackson remained an elite rusher, with usage only scaled back slightly. He also ended 2020 strong with finishes of QB6, QB1, QB5, QB12 and QB9 over the final 5 weeks.

Only in year 4, and now surrounded with his best supporting cast yet, look for Jackson’s passing numbers to rebound. He’s an enticing pick if he slips to late Round 5/Round 6 of 12-team drafts.