Ravens Boost Record Running Attack with J.K. Dobbins

Playmaker will boost an already dominant running game
Ravens Boost Record Running Attack with J.K. Dobbins
Ravens Boost Record Running Attack with J.K. Dobbins /

The Baltimore Ravens selected Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins with the 55th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, which will boost an already record-setting running attack.

The Ravens broke the NFL’s all-time single-season rushing mark with 3,296 yards last season. Baltimore also became the first team in NFL history to average 206.0 rushing yards and 201.6 net passing yards per game behind quarterback Lamar Jackson, who was named the league's Most Valuable Player.

"It's amazing," Dobbins said. "I'm going to get to play with the MVP of the NFL, so I'm going to do my best to help him and just help the team win. So, it's definitely a blessing to be on this team.”

Dobbins set a Buckeyes record with 2,003 rushing yards during his final season in 2019, breaking the previous mark of 1,927 held by Eddie George in 1995. Dobbins finished his career with 4,459 rushing yards, 796 receiving yards and 43 touchdowns. 

In 2019, Dobbins was the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award winner, First Team All‐Big Ten (media and coaches), First Team All‐American by the Football Writers Association of America and Doak Walker Award finalist

He had 10 100‐yard rushing performances during his junior season, including a career‐high 211 yards and four touchdowns in a 56‐27 win at No. 10 Michigan. Dobbins, 5-foot-9, 209 pounds, will push for playing time because of his versatility and durability. 

The Ravens are already deep at running back and Dobbins will make that unit even more explosive. 

Veteran Mark Ingram signed with the Ravens as an unrestricted free agent in March 2019 after eight seasons in New Orleans. He made an immediate impact in Baltimore, running for 1,018 yards with 10 touchdowns. He also caught 26 passes for 247 yards with another five scores, earning his third trip to the Pro Bowl.

“Joining Mark Ingram II, I always watched him," Dobbins said. "He’s a great player, and I can learn a lot from him, I believe. It’s a blessing to be on this team, and I just want to soak it all in. Just learn from everyone, and try to come in and just do my job.”

Gus Edwards, who led the Ravens in rushing as a rookie in 2018, was the main backup behind Ingram and he ran 711 yards and two touchdowns last year.

Baltimore selected Justice Hill in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He amassed 225 yards rushing yards and two touchdowns on 58 carries behind Ingram and  Edwards on the depth chart. Hill added 70 yards receiving on eight catches. He'll be challenged to overtake Ingram or Edwards. 

Dobbins will make this unit even more explosive. 

 

 


Published
Todd Karpovich
TODD KARPOVICH

Twitter: @toddkarpovich Email: todd.karpovich@gmail.com Skype: todd.karpovich Todd Karpovich has been a contributor for ESPN, Forbes, the Associated Press, Lindy's, and The Baltimore Sun, among other media outlets nationwide. He is the co-author of “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Baltimore Ravens Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box,” “Skipper Supreme: Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles,” and the author of “Manchester United (Europe's Best Soccer Clubs).” Karpovich, a Baltimore native, is a graduate of Calvert Hall College high school, Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, and has a Masters of Science from Towson University.