Ravens veteran RB Mark Ingram has fully embraced the mentor role for rookie J.K. Dobbins

Many were surprised when the Baltimore Ravens, who had the most dominant rushing attack in league history that rewrote NFL and franchise record books, fortified a position group that was already a tremendous strength and had great depth by selecting Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins with the 55th overall pick in this past April’s draft. However, veteran running back Mark Ingram wasn’t among the masses.

“I’ve been in the league 10 years and I’ve never seen a team that didn’t either bring in a running back or draft a running back,” said Ingram. “It’s the norm so it didn’t surprise me and I think that it was a high-value pick right there where we were at

Ingram signed with the Ravens in free agency last March on a respectable three-year deal worth $15 million. The former first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints was a smashing hit in his first season in Baltimore. In addition to recording his third 1,000 plus yard season in the last four years, scoring a career-high 15 touchdowns from scrimmage—tying a Ravens franchise record—and earning the third Pro Bowl nod of his career, Ingram became an instant fan favorite and one of the most prominent leaders in the locker room.

His smash-mouth “big boy no little boy” running style was the perfect complement to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s electrifyingly elusive rushing ability during his MVP campaign. He was the tone-setter for Baltimore’s offense and helped establish a rhythm and build up insurmountable leads in many of their league-leading 14 wins last season.

Despite having Ingram under contact for the next two seasons and showing no signs of attrition after nearly a decade in the league, having the equally as hardnosed running Gus ‘The Bus’ Edwards who has eclipsed 700 yards rushing in back to back season and drafting change of pace back Justice Hill in the fourth round out of Oklahoma State last year, the Ravens couldn’t pass up a talent like Dobbins who they and many others had a late first-round grade on in the middle of the second.

The Ravens believe in taking the ‘best player available model’ as their first commandment when it comes to the draft even if that player is at a position of strength over selecting a lesser player at a position of need. Many thought the Ravens were going to take a wide receiver or an edge rusher at the spot that they took Dobbins, but they were both surprised and delighted when he was available when they were on the clock.

Entering his 10th season in the league and set to turn 31 in December, it’d be understandable if a veteran player like Ingram would be miffed by their selection of his successor after he had such a great first season with the team and reluctant to share his secrets of the trade and the key to his longevity at a position where the average shelf life is the shortest of any position in the league.

Nope, not Ingram. He has sincerely and whole-heartedly embraced the role of a mentor to the gifted rookie that his hungry and eager to eat into his snap count and isn’t taking the patient approach to his first season. Ingram sees it as his duty to impart wisdom and any tricks of the trade that he’s learned over the years to the younger generation of running backs in the way that was done to and for him.

“He’s a great young back,” said Ingram. “He had a great career at Ohio State. That’s what this league is all about. Especially running backs, being able to pay the game forward. I had guys that paid the game forward to me so just being able to pass the game down, pass knowledge down, anything he wants to know I’m there to help him, I’m there to support him.”

“You’re only as strong as your weakest link so you try to bring everybody along, you try to have everybody play at a high level, everybody competing at a high level.”

Dobbins reached out Ingram shortly after being drafted by the Ravens and the two have been in constant communication ever since and are both elated to finally be in the same building together after a virtual offseason program where their position meetings were conducted via Zoom.

We’ve been talking over the offseason, we’re finally in the building together so that chemistry will keep getting stronger and I’ll keep helping him,” said Ingram.

The Ravens ran the ball more and with greater efficiency than any team not just in 2019 but in league history. That’s 100 years in case you were wondering. They ran for 3,296 yards without Dobbins’ game-breaking ability as part of the equation. With him rounding out the already beastly position group, the Ravens have all the horses they need field another elite ground game in 2020 with Ingram leading the way.

“We run the ball a lot. We put emphasis on running the ball,” said Ingram. “Being able to have our backfield, me, Gus, Justice, add JK to the mix, I think its an elite backfield of guys who I think can start anywhere in this league, play anywhere in this league. We’ll be competing, we’ll be working, and we’ll be working together to have the best rushing attack again.”