It’s now been almost seven years since the Baltimore Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson, and they’ve never looked back since.

Jackson has been probably the most-electrifying player in the league over the past several years, dominating with both through the air and on the ground. He’s already won two MVP awards, with a third potentially on the way very soon.

While it may be easy to forget now, Jackson didn’t just fall into Baltimore’s lap.

It seemed like the Ravens’ night was over after they selected tight end Hayden Hurst at No. 25 overall, but they knew they had to be bold to get their future franchise quarterback. So, they swung a huge deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, trading three picks to move up to No. 32 overall and select Jackson.

In a new interview with Todd McShay of The Ringer, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, then an assistant general manager, recalled the rollercoaster of emotions he and his team went through on that fateful night.

“[Eagles general manager] Howie [Roseman] was willing to trade out of 32 and take our second. So we ended up drafting Hayden Hurst at 25. Kevin Byrne, our PR guy, wanted us to go downstairs to the press conference. I said, ‘Kevin, let’s just hold off.’ The scouts and coaches thought we were done. So Steve Bisciotti’s across the [room], talking to John [Harbaugh], they’re high-fiving, whatever.

“I looked at [then-Ravens general manager] Ozzie [Newsome] and I go, ‘Let’s call Howie.’ So I call Howie. He says, ‘I want to do it.’ So I looked at Ozzie, I said, ‘Get Lamar on the phone.’ Ozzie called Lamar. I’m on the phone with Howie. We did the trade. We turned it in. No one in the room even knew that we were doing it. No one was paying attention. And then all of a sudden I go, ‘Hey guys, we just got Lamar Jackson.’ And the room just went crazy.”

This move came with a ton of risk at the time. Jackson, despite his outstanding play at Louisville, had many scouts beliving he should swtich to wide receiver at the NFL level. Few expected him to become the franchise player he is today, except those in the Ravens organization, that is.

The phrase “fortune favors the bold” isn’t always true, but it was definitely true for Baltimore in this case.