Former Ravens LT Jonathan Ogden Nominated For Hall Of Fame

The very first draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens was UCLA offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden, whom the Ravens took with the fourth pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. The team also got a linebacker from the University of Miami named Ray Lewis with the 26th pick of that same first round. Ogden went on to play 12 years with Baltimore, but a lingering toe injury contributed to his retirement after the 2007 season.

In his 12 years with the team, "JO," as he was affectionately known around here, earn eleven trips to the Pro Bowl and named All-Pro nine times. At 6'9" and 345 pounds, Ogden had the rare combination of size along with speed and agility. Strong enough to ward off the bull rush of the league's elite defensive ends, he also was nimble enough to frustrate pass rushers who tried to beat him around the edge.

Ogden Led by defensive linemen Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan, they join a total of 127 others nominated for the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2013. Of them, 25 will be selected as semi-finalists and then 15 finalists will be announced. From them, there are usually four to seven names that are voted to join the Hall, with the names released the day before the Super Bowl.

Hopefully, Ogden will be the first player from the Baltimore Ravens to be elected to the Hall of Fame, to be joined one day by Ray Lewis and eventually Ed Reed as well. Congratulation JO and good luck!