"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard": When Michael Vick recalled wild Lamar Jackson WR narratives during his NFL draft drama

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is a two-time NFL MVP and is one of the most celebrated players in the league. The picture was not always so rosy, though. After winning the Heisman Trophy in 2016 when he played for the Louisville Cardinals, Jackson was expected to be one of the top picks during the 2018 NFL Draft but slid precariously on draft night.

Jackson was the No. 5 quarterback picked during the draft after evaluators opined that he should switch positions from quarterback to wide receiver in the NFL due to his athleticism. During a 2023 segment of Club Shay Shay, former NFL standout Michael Vick recalled the narratives surrounding Jackson during the 2018 draft (1:30).

"I did some interviews on Lamar leading up to the draft, right? And I told a reporter who said it to me, 'That's the stupidest thing I ever heard. I can't remember who it was, what network, what outlet, but I told him. If this guy don't play quarterback in the National Football League, it'll be a travesty, tragedy. And if he don't go in the first, second or third round, that's cool.

"Whoever drafts him in the fifth, sixth, seventh round, if that's what y'all think, don't get a jump, and he'll eventually become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Because he's instinctive. He's gonna know how to maneuver the pocket and work it. He's got to give it an offensive coordinator who can mow them. I think the best thing for Lamar was getting drafted to Baltimore."

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Why Baltimore took a chance on Lamar Jackson

Lamar Jackson's mother, Felicia Jones, always insisted that her son was a quarterback and resisted coaches trying to change his position and turn him into a wide receiver or running back due to his supreme athleticism.

Jones was her son's agent during the 2018 draft and before draft night, she released a statement warning teams that her son would only play as a quarterback.

As Lamar Jackson slid during draft night, it looked like a mistake until John Harbaugh intervened and convinced the Baltimore Ravens to take a chance on the former Louisville Cardinals QB, according to an account by his wife, Ingrid Harbaugh, during a 2023 ESPN interview.

“John was close to Joe (Flacco) too,” Ingrid said. “But it’s just a different level with Lamar. They just hit it off right away. John’s such a positive, open-minded person, and he sees the good in everybody.

"We got a steal because everyone passed Lamar up because they didn’t want to go with a running quarterback. But John goes, ‘We can do this. We can mold our offense to him.'”

Lamar Jackson has since established himself as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL winning two MVP awards and narrowly missing out on a third one last season to fellow class of 2018 QB Josh Allen.