28 March 2023 , 19:21
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Lamar Jackson had been one of the best college quarterback throughout the 2010s as he won a Heisman Trophy and almost another in his three years with Louisville but was doubted heading into the NFL Draft.
Although an extremely unique athlete at the position, a number of NFL teams reportedly had doubts about his abilities as passer, and how that would translate to the professionals.
Jackson had been somewhat inaccurate as a passer at college, never completing over 60% of his passes and throwing 27 interceptions in 38 games. However, his unique style of play saw him such a threat as a runner, that he was projected to be drafted early in the first-round.
But as it grew closer towards the draft date, news had emerged that some teams saw Jackson as a wide receiver or running back, rather than a quarterback.
Namely, the Los Angeles Chargers were said to be interested in Jackson in the first-round, and would ask him to move positions. Speaking on a podcast, Jackson said: "It was a Chargers scout who told me about (moving to receiver). He was the first one to come to me about it.
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"I’m like, ‘What?’ He caught me off guard with it. I even made a face at first like, ‘What?’ I thought he was trying to be funny but he kept going with it. So it just became blown out of proportion."
The Chargers would not end up selecting Jackson, instead going with Derwin James, who has gone on to become one of the better safeties in the league.
Lamar Jackson was drafted with the last pick in the first roundSurprisingly, Jackson was not taken until the last pick in the first-round, with the Ravens trading up to select him - making him the heir apparent to Joe Flacco.
Jackson would be benched for his rookie season, and in his first full year as a starter blew the league away with his incredible rushing ability and proved to be a worthy passer, winning the MVP award.
Four quarterbacks were selected over Jackson in Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen and Josh Rosen, with the Ravens quarterback the only one to win an MVP so far.
But after failing to agree a long-term deal with the Ravens, Jackson looks poised to leave the team this off-season after handing in a trade request. The Indianapolis Colts have already admitted their interest, with the Washington Commanders also been mentioned as a potential landing spot.