Ravens trade up for Jackson

ARLINGTON, Texas — Lamar Jackson was one pick away from disappointment — not just the fact he wouldn’t have been a first-round pick, but he would have wasted one of his finest suits on a night spent away from the spotlight.

Instead, the Ravens called in a last-minute trade with the Eagles to make the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback a first-round pick at No. 32, the final selection of the night at AT&T Stadium.

“When my name finally got called, I was like, man I’m glad I wore this suit,” said Jackson, who donned a green suit with a bow tie. “It was just an honor for the Ravens organization to believe in me. All the teams that passed me up, it doesn’t really matter at this point. I’m gonna be a Raven.”

There was plenty of smoke connecting Jackson to the Patriots in the days leading up to the draft. They were the only team to bring him in for a visit and also work him out privately in South Florida. Tom Brady had endorsed his potential heir apparent on Instagram, calling the Louisville dual-threat QB “a beast.” The Patriots had two chances to pick him, at 23 and 31, but passed.

Baltimore, meanwhile, had brought in Jackson for a visit that he said was one of the best he had. He joins the organization trying to succeed another Super Bowl-winning signal caller in Joe Flacco. The QB room will also include 2012’s No. 2 pick Robert Griffin III, who signed a one-year deal this month.

Jackson faced plenty of criticism during the pre-draft process. He chose not to hire an agent, having his mom be his manager instead. When reports surfaced about a potential position change to wide receiver, he opted not to run the 40-yard dash at the combine.

“It was me trying to prove my point,” Jackson said. “I’m a quarterback, that’s all.”