NFL: Selecting the best player in each franchise’s history

Baltimore Ravens – Ed Reed

This one will undoubtedly come as a surprise to some, but Ed Reed is a first-ballot Hall of Fame player who happened to fly under the radar by nature of the position that he played.

Baltimore has two other legitimate candidates in Ray Lewis and Jonathan Ogden and, frankly, I wouldn’t quibble with either selection. However, Reed is the best safety of his generation without much argument, and given that Lewis took something off the table with his off-field antics and became overrated later in his career, I’m leaning toward Reed. Ogden was also an elite player by any description, but his career didn’t span the length of Reed’s.

Reed stands sixth on the all-time interception list with 64, and that isn’t even his claim to fame. He played as a ball-hawk who was a deterrent to the opposition coming anywhere near him in the passing game. Reed was a strong support against the run, as well. In addition, his ball skills were astronomically good for a defensive player, and that helped to lead Reed to five All-Pro selections during his 11 seasons in Baltimore.

Ray Lewis garnered the headlines while the two men played together with the Ravens, but Reed was the better player in my estimation. Regardless of where you stand on that debate, Ed Reed was an uber-elite player.

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