Marshal Yanda is likely to be the runaway favorite, but which other player will end up joining him on the Ravens Quarter Century Team?
A franchise can’t be known for having a tradition of strong running backs over the years without having a number of standout offensive linemen to go with them. The Ravens have been blessed with some pretty good talent up front this century.
In fact, it’s why we are skipping offensive tackles and heading to offensive guards. Jonathan Ogden and Ronnie Stanley are far-and-away the best tackles this century for Baltimore so there’s just no point in slogging through those polls. So here we are with offensive guards.
One could also argue we already know the first guard who will be selected to the Quarter Century Team, but since we don’t know both, we might as well still put it to a vote.
Let’s get to it! Go ahead and jump into the poll!
Marshal Yanda (2007-2019)
Yanda was drafted by the Ravens in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft out of Iowa. He started 12 games as a rookie and played a consistent role for the Ravens through his first four seasons. In 2011, Yanda broke out and earned both his first Pro Bowl nod and a Second-Team All-Pro honor.
From there, Yanda was as consistent as they come for an NFL guard, starting the majority of games through the remainder of his career while dealing with some sporadic injury luck. However, when he was one the field, there weren’t many better. By the time of his retirement, Yanda had helped the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII, earned two First-Team All-Pro honors (2014-2015), four more second-team honors (2012, 2016-2018), and seven more trips to the Pro Bowl (2012-2016, 2018-2019).
Following his career, Yanda was named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team and was inducted into the Ravens Ring of Honor.
Kelechi Osemele (2012-2015)
Osemele was selected in the second round out of Iowa State in the 2012 NFL Draft. He played four strong seasons with the Ravens, starting every game he played in from 2012-2016 (51).
As a rookie, he started all 16 games at right tackle before switching to left guard for the team’s playoff run. There, he helped the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII over the San Francisco 49ers.
Ben Grubbs (2007-2011)
Grubbs was the Ravens’ first-round pick back in 2007. He played five strong seasons for Baltimore, starting 70 of his 74 games played. In 2011, his final year with the team, he earned the first of two career Pro Bowl honors despite playing just 10 games that season.
As a rookie, Grubbs started 12 of 16 regular season games and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
Edwin Mulitalo (2000-2006)
Mulitalo was a fourth-round pick of the Ravens out of the University of Arizona in the 1999 NFL Draft. He played eight strong seasons in Baltimore, helping the team win Super Bowl XXXV during the 2000 season after starting all 16 regular season games at left guard. Mulitalo never earned a Pro Bowl nod or was named an All-Pro, but he did start 102 games over an eight-year career with the Ravens as one of the most consistent players on the team during that span.