Miami Hurricanes History of Consecutive 1st Round Picks ’95-’01

Ray Lewis LB-College and 1996 NFL Draft Selected 26 by Baltimore 

Lewis had one of the most iconic careers at linebacker in NFL history. His fierceness and competitiveness on the field were the trademarks of his career.

He was a teammate of Sapp’s in college and a part of the 1994 team that was the last elite team at Miami for more than five years. Lewis had an outstanding freshman season. He earned a spot on the freshman All-American team in 1993 with 81 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and four pass deflections

As a sophomore, Lewis was named first team  All-American.  He finished the season 153 tackles, nine tackles for a loss, two sacks, and an interception. Miami finished that season behind Sapp and Lewis with the nation’s top-ranked defense and finished sixth in the nation after losing to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

Lewis eclipsed his sophomore totals as a Junior. He finished the 1995 season with the second-highest tackle total in school history with 160. He also had eight tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble, four pass deflections and one interception return for a touchdown.

Lewis left Miami with one year of eligibility remaining. He was the 26th pick of the first round in the 1996 NFL Draft. Lewis was the Ravens second ever draft pick. Fellow Hall of Famer Ogden was selected by the Ravens with the fourth overall pick in ’96.

He was the fifth linebacker taken in the 1996 draft. Lewis was lauded for his speed, tackling ability and intensity. There were questions about his size. Lewis played at 6’1 245.