The early return on two first-round picks was quite promising for the Ravens.
The Professional Football Writers of America agreed in voting safety Kyle Hamilton and center Tyler Linderbaum to its All-Rookie team for the 2022 season. The Ravens were one of seven teams to have two players make it.
Baltimore’s earliest pick in the draft since left tackle Ronnie Stanley in 2016, Hamilton shook off a slow start to establish himself as a key part of the secondary by season’s end. Though graded first overall among safeties by Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-4, 221-pound Hamilton saw most of his action at nickel back and playing close to the line of scrimmage, collecting 62 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and five pass breakups in 16 games. The Notre Dame product also registered a team-high nine tackles and forced and recovered a fumble in the wild-card playoff loss at Cincinnati.
Linderbaum, the 25th overall pick out of Iowa, started all 17 games and played all but two offensive snaps in his rookie season to establish himself as an anchor for the interior offensive line moving forward. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 305 pounds, Linderbaum doesn’t have the prototypical size Baltimore had preferred at the position in the past, but PFF graded him sixth among centers with his run blocking being the big reason why.
The 2022 draft marked the second consecutive year and sixth time overall that the Ravens made two first-round selections in the same year.
The PFWA has voted on an All-Rookie team every season since 1974.
Below are this year’s rookie honors as voted by the membership of the PFWA:
2022 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, New York Jets
2022 OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: WR Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
2022 DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, New York Jets
2022 PFWA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Offense
QB – Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
RB – Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons; Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
WR – Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints; Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
TE – Chigoziem Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans
C – Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens
G – Zion Johnson, Los Angeles Chargers; Dylan Parham, Las Vegas Raiders
T – Braxton Jones, Chicago Bears; Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys
Defense
DL – Jordan Davis, Philadelphia Eagles; Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions; George Karlaftis, Kansas City Chiefs; Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants
LB – Devin Lloyd, Jacksonville Jaguars; Malcolm Rodriguez, Detroit Lions; Quay Walker, Green Bay Packers
CB – Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, New York Jets, Tariq Woolen, Seattle Seahawks
S – Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens; Jalen Pitre, Houston Texans
Special Teams
PK – Cameron Dicker, Los Angeles Chargers
P – Ryan Stonehouse, Tennessee Titans
KR – Dallis Flowers, Indianapolis Colts
PR – Marcus Jones, New England Patriots
ST – Brenden Schooler, New England Patriots
