The last few weeks have been a dream come true for the newly drafted Kamalei Correa.
From growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii where he played at the highly acclaimed St. Louis High School, through his tenure at Boise State, Correa has kept his eye on the ultimate goal: lacing up his cleats for an NFL team.
Enter the Baltimore Ravens.
John Harbaugh and company desperately needed to address their lack of young, high-motored pass rushers. Players who, down the line, can step in for aging veterans like Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs, and who can complement them in the short term.
As the team entered into day two of the draft, a round that saw the Ravens make a few trades to gain some more picks, Ozzie Newsome and company opted for Correa, the young outside linebacker who has pass rush ability along with the skills needed to play the edge.
[Related: Correa a Raw Player with Upside]
For Correa, it was a shock to hear his name called by the Ravens, who grabbed him with the 42nd overall pick.
“I honestly had no clue,” remarked the no-nonsense Correa following the team’s first rookie mini camp practice. “I only met with the Ravens at the Combine for like 10 minutes. I was like, ‘These guys aren’t interested in me,’ but I got picked and I’m blessed.”
The versatile outside backer is honored to be part of a Ravens defense that is known for being tough and has featured some of the best players in NFL history. Playing with the likes of Suggs and Doom, Correa plans to soak up as much as he can from the two veterans.
“Those guys have been playing for a while,” responded the “Red Star” player, a name given to highly coveted picks on the team’s draft board. “I’m going to soak up everything I can from those guys. I know they have a lot of knowledge, and I’m just excited to learn from them. I just – I can’t even explain how happy I am to be here.”
Correa’s knack for flying to the football on every play will give Dean Pees a guy he can move around in some of his odd packages at the “X” position, much like they did with both Courtney Upshaw and Pernell McPhee during their tenures in Baltimore.
“I’m a see-ball, get-ball kind of guy,” said Correa. “I love to hit. I love to get the ball. That’s just about it; I like to play physical. If I’m lined up on the ball or off the ball, I’m just going to come down and hit somebody.”
While making the transition from college football to the pros isn’t an easy one, it’s one that Correa – for his own sake and for that of the organization – needs to make in a timely manner. The need far outweighs the days of old when second-rounders weren’t expected to contribute right away.
“They’re paying me, so on Sundays I better show up and play.”
While there’s a long way to go until the Ravens’ season opener, those words are certainly refreshing to hear. It’s a shame more players don’t have that same mentality.
Aloha, K.C.
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