ESPN.com polled 21 Baltimore media members for their top 20 players on the 2015 Baltimore Ravens roster. The countdown will run through the end of the month, just before the start of training camp.
Let's continue the countdown ...
No. 7: STEVE SMITH
Position: Wide receiver
Total points: 280. First-place votes: One.
Highest ranking: No. 1. Lowest ranking: No. 17.
2015 salary-cap figure ranking: Seventh ($4.166 million)
2014 ranking: No. 12
Biggest question: Will Smith put up the same strong numbers from last season?
Storyline: Smith carries a chip on his shoulder because of his age. He turned 36 in May, and it's a legitimate issue given that few receivers have reached a high level of productivity at that age. The challenge for Smith this season is consistency. Last season, he was among the top receivers in the NFL for the first eight games, totaling 675 yards receiving (seventh most in the NFL). He didn't sustain that in the last eight games, putting up 390 yards (53rd in the league). Still, Smith finished as the Ravens' leader in receptions (79) and receiving yards (1,065).
Where Smith should be ranked: Smith is a top-five player for the Ravens. He caught 30 more passes than anyone on the Ravens last season, and he more than doubled the receiving yards of everyone except Torrey Smith. How important is Smith? In the Ravens' 10 wins, he averaged 79.1 yards receiving and scored five touchdowns. In Baltimore's six losses, he averaged 45.6 yards and was held to one touchdown.
File this away: Only three players (Jerry Rice, Jimmy Smith and Joey Galloway) have topped 1,000 yards receiving in a season at age 36 or older, and Steve Smith would become the first to accomplish this since 2007, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
What the Ravens are saying about Smith: "We wouldn’t have had the season we had without Steve Smith on our team [in 2014].” -- coach John Harbaugh
Here is the panel of voters: Morgan Adsit (WBFF-TV), Clifton Brown (Comcast SportsNet Baltimore), Jerry Coleman (105.7 The Fan), Bruce Cunnningham (WBFF-TV), Steve Davis (105.7 The Fan), John Eisenberg (Baltimore Ravens website), Pete Gilbert (WBAL-TV), David Ginsburg (Associated Press), Brent Harris (Comcast SportsNet Baltimore), Brett Hollander (WBAL Radio), Qadry Ismail (WBAL Radio), Luke Jones (WNST Radio), Rob Long (105.7 The Fan), Jon Meoli (Baltimore Sun), Keith Mills (WBAL Radio), Joe Platania (the Press Box), Gerry Sandusky (WBAL-TV), Mark Viviano (WJZ-TV), Aaron Wilson (Baltimore Sun), Jeff Zrebiec (Baltimore Sun) and Jamison Hensley (ESPN.com).
Recapping the 2015 Ravens' top 20 player rankings:
No. 8: Justin Tucker
No. 9: Justin Forsett
No. 10: Kelechi Osemele
No. 11: Daryl Smith
No. 12: Brandon Williams
No. 13: Lardarius Webb
No. 14: Rick Wagner
No. 15: Timmy Jernigan
No. 16: Courtney Uphsaw
No. 17: Eugene Monroe
No. 18: Sam Koch
No. 19: Dennis Pitta
No. 20: Breshad Perriman