On Sunday, Oct. 22, Ravens legend Terrell Suggs was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor after spending 16 years in Baltimore. But according to former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, Suggs’ time in Baltimore almost never happened.
Suggs was projected to be a top pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, and the Ravens were picking at No. 10. But during a predraft workout at Arizona State University, Suggs ran a slow 40-yard dash time, which Nolan thinks scared some teams away from him.
“He ran [4.84], almost a 4.9 40 when everyone thought for sure he would run easily a 4.6,” Nolan said on Glenn Clark Radio Oct. 20. “He certainly played at a 4.6 all the time, but he actually didn’t know to run. When they started his 40, he stood straight up and then started to run. He came out of it with a really bad time. Everybody walked away from the workout, kind of thinking, ‘Oh, the time was not near what we thought it was going to be.'”
Nolan was the Ravens’ defensive coordinator from 2002-2004. He saw Phil Savage, then the Ravens’ director of player personnel, in the parking lot after the workout. They agreed that Suggs could fall to the Ravens at No. 10 after his poor 40-yard dash time.
The Ravens, however, tried to trade up to take quarterback Byron Leftwich, only for the trade with the Vikings to fall through. Additionally, complications with the trade talks caused Minnesota to run out of time at No. 7 overall. As such, the Jaguars quickly sent their pick in, with the Panthers closely behind.
The Vikings took Kevin Williams at No. 9, two picks after their original slot, and after the bad 40-yard dash time and the chaos in the top 10 picks, Suggs fell to the Ravens. Suggs finished his career with 895 tackles, 200 quarterback hits, 139 sacks, 15 fumble recoveries and seven interceptions.
The 6-foot-3, 265-pound linebacker/defensive end didn’t take his career seriously enough early on in Baltimore, according to Nolan, but former defensive line coach Rex Ryan played a big role in his early development after the team decided to move Suggs from the linebacker meeting room to the defensive line room during his rookie season.
“Rex really did a great job. … Rex was really a huge part in his early development to becoming a really good player,” Nolan said. “We were using him primarily as a pass rusher anyway in his early years, and Rex did just a remarkable job with honing in on his skills.”
Once Pro Football Hall of Famers Ray Lewis and Ed Reed left the team after 2012, Suggs took on more of a leadership role. While Suggs may not have been as much of a leader while Lewis and Reed were still in Baltimore, Nolan said Suggs learned a ton by playing with them and probably would not have had the same career if he didn’t play with Lewis and Reed.
“People like Ray and Ed raised a lot of people’s levels as far as being professionals. I think [Suggs] benefitted a ton by being around those two guys,” Nolan said. “It enabled him to really grow as a player and be what he became.”
Suggs was integral to the 2012 Ravens defense that helped bring Baltimore a Super Bowl. He had 10 tackles and two sacks in the Ravens’ 38-35 win against the Broncos in the divisional round en route to a championship.
“You have to have a lot of God-given talent to last that long with the beating that it takes on your body,” Nolan said. “But he played in a lot of big games, he helped the team win a lot of big games, he won a Super Bowl.”
For more from Nolan, listen to the full interview here:
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