The Ravens’ first encounter with Kamalei Correa at the NFL scouting combine was brief. In fact, it was so fast that Correa himself was shocked when he heard the Ravens call his name on day two of the draft.
“I honestly had no clue, I only met with Ravens at the NFL Combine for about 10 minutes,” Correa said according to Don Markus of the Baltimore Sun. “I was like, man, these guys are not interested in me. I got picked and I’m blessed, man.”
Ten minutes was all John Harbaugh, Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta needed to know that Correa was a perfect fit for the middle of their defense. The big draw to Eric DeCosta was his focus and intensity. “His leg was shaking the whole time,” DeCosta said according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. That intensity and focus has carried over to training camp, and Correa has been one of the most impressive players on the field.
At times, Correa’s intensity has even needed to be dialed down. Correa was at the center of several skirmishes and heavy hits at Monday’s open practice at M&T Bank stadium. He delivered a hard hit on Mike Wallace and mixed it up with Dennis Pitta. While the intense play with his teammates reportedly drew a scolding from quarterback Joe Flacco, the aggressiveness will be a welcome site on Sundays. It’s the type of edge and swagger that Dean Pees’ defense has clearly lacked since the departure of Ray Lewis.
Correa also clearly understands the effort it takes to succeed on the pro level.
“The first thing I would say is: nobody is junk,” Correa said according to Clifton Brown of CSN Mid Atlantic. “Everybody is good. So you’ve got to be on your game every day, and you’ve got to come to work. If you don’t come to work, someone is going to hit you upside your head, and it’s not going to feel good.”
While that comment may not seem profound, it shows a level of maturity for a rookie. Often times, especially with early round picks, players enter the league and expect to easily transition to the NFL. They’ve been the best player on the field as long as they can remember and don’t expect that to change. But it does if players don’t understand that nobody is junk, as Correa so eloquently put it.
It’s too soon to know how much of an impact Correa will have his rookie season. So far, however, he’s been impressive both on and off the field. He brings an intensity the Ravens have desperately lacked in recent seasons. He also has the intangibles that players often lack, especially in their rookie season. The Boise State product has been one of the most exciting players to watch in training camp.
It will fun to see how it transitions to the field come September.
