Who is the youngest MVP in NFL history?
The Baltimore Ravens are struggling this season, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and partly due to inconsistent play. While the Ravens are still in the AFC playoff picture at 7-5, it's a far cry from last season, when they were a dominant 14-2 and claimed the AFC's No. 1 playoff seed.
In 2018, the Ravens took the NFL by surprise when they drafted quarterback Lamar Jackson out of the University of Louisville with the last pick in the first round.
Most of the teams in the league wanted to convert Jackson into a running back, even though he'd won college football's highest individual honor -- the Heisman Trophy -- as a quarterback. Because of that predicament, Jackson decided not take part in the 40-yard dash during the NFL scouting combine.
Let me remind you that the 2018 NFL Draft was a quarterback-heavy class with the likes of Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson. All of those aforementioned quarterbacks got called during the first 10 picks, except for Jackson. He had to wait until the 32nd pick for his name to be called out.
The Ravens at the time had Joe Flacco at quarterback, who had recently led the team to a Super Bowl championship. But seeing what siting behind a veteran can do for a young quarterback coming into the NFL -- like with Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs -- coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens organization rolled the dice with Lamar Jackson.
Cleary, their faith in Lamar paid off. After replacing Flacco in the latter part of the 2018 NFL season, he was made the starter for the 2019 NFL season. Harbaugh had to change his offense to suit the athleticism of Lamar Jackson. Jackson did his part, winning over the team after replacing a beloved quarterback in Joe Flacco.
Lamar Jackson made history
Jackson led the Ravens to a 14-2 record for the 2019 season. Defenses were unable to figure out a way to stop him. He became the first quarterback in the history of the NFL to have thrown for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single NFL season. He also set the single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback.
After the season, Jackson was unanimously voted the NFL's Most Valuable Player.
When Lamar Jackson won the MVP, he was 23 years and 25 days old, making him the youngest player to win the MVP. He surpassed Patrick Mahomes as the youngest player to win the NFL MVP award. Mahomes was 23 years, 4 months and 16 days old in 2018 when he was crowned NFL MVP.
Not bad for a running back.