Boller became the Ravens' first round draft pick in 2003 NFL Draft (19th overall pick). He was the second quarterback selected from the Pac-10 conference after the Cincinnati Bengals selected Carson Palmer from USC with the first overall pick. He started the first 9 games of the season, going 5–3, before being injured (thigh) in a game against the St. Louis Rams. He was inactive for most of the rest of the season, being replaced by backup Anthony Wright, as he also had to have surgery to repair a muscle in his quadriceps. Boller rushed 30 times for 62 yards, and completed 116 of 224 passes for 1,260 yards with 7 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.