Robert Griffin III trying to ‘nurture’ Lamar Jackson

Robert Griffin III signed with the Baltimore Ravens in April to try and revitalize his NFL career, but lately, he’s also played the role of a mentor.

Griffin told Sports Illustrated he’s trying to “nurture” quarterback Lamar Jackson — the Ravens’ first-round draft pick out of Louisville.

Griffin, the 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year, is using his experience as an African-American quarterback in the NFL to help mentor Jackson, who is also black.

“I try to take that and look at it in a positive way to try to help Lamar navigate a lot of the things that I had to navigate on my own,” Griffin said. “I feel like he really trusts me and believes what I’m telling him, and I think that’s made him a better player already in a short amount of time.”

Griffin said he wants Jackson to avoid “catastrophic mistakes.” The 28-year-old added he’s “seen everything,” going from a star prospect to benchwarmer to out of the league entirely.

“I’m trying to help nurture him as much as I possibly can,” Griffin said, “so that when he flies away, he is ready to fly away. Because when you watch it fly away, at that point it’s up to that bird.”