Kamalei Correa

[vmax]

I can't hate on this guy.....love the pick.

By trading back Ozzie got 3 players instead of 2. Great move.

 

This is Hensley's take.....

 

Round 2, Pick No. 42: Kamalei Correa, LB, Boise State | Highlights

 

 

My take: This is a classic Ravens move. The Ravens knew they valued Correa more than other teams, so they traded down six spots to get two additional picks and the pass-rusher they wanted. The moves down showed the Ravens didn't covet linebacker Myles Jack (No. 36, Jacksonville), pass-rusher Noah Spence (No. 39, Tampa Bay) and linebacker Reggie Ragland (No. 41, Buffalo). Correa is raw but relentless. When you watch him on film, his high motor epitomizes the franchise mantra of "play like a Raven." He's the type of playmaker the Ravens desperately wanted. In his last two seasons, Correa made 19 sacks and 30 tackles for loss. Owner Steve Bisciotti said he wanted a young pass-rusher because Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil are in their 30s. In the middle of the second round, Biscotti got his wish.

No longer a Packers fan: No one was more surprised by getting drafted by the Ravens than Correa himself. He only spoke to Ravens officials once in the pre-draft process and that was at the NFL combine in February. A native of Hawaii, Correa was asked what NFL team he rooted for. "I always was a Green Bay Packers fan," Correa said. "But since April 29, that has changed. I'm a Raven for the rest of my life."

Modeling his game after Clay Matthews: Correa estimated that he played 80 percent of his snaps in college with his hand in the dirt. So, how big of a challenge is it to convert to a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL? Correa says it won't be because of his work ethic. Correa will make his biggest impact coming off the edge in passing situations. He can get to the quarterback in a variety of ways, beating tackles out wide with his speed or to the inside with a power move. Correa said he tries to pattern his game after Packers linebacker Clay Matthews. "He can move within a defensive scheme," Correa said. "He can do multiple things and not just get set on one thing. That’s what I can bring to a team as well.”

Most underrated player: Some analysts projected Correa as a Day 3 pick because he is undersized at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds. But ESPN's Todd McShay disagreed. He called Correa “one of the most underrated players in this year’s draft class” and “a very solid second-rounder.”

 

[vmax]

You could say that he's a confident young man....

 

 

Harbaugh said. "We knew what his character was. We had 15 minutes; that was all we needed to know."

The Ravens were impressed by Correa's intensity during the interview. He sat on the edge of his seat and looked team officials in the eye when answering questions.

“[His] leg was shaking the whole time," assistant general manager Eric DeCosta said.

The Ravens liked Correa so much that they had him higher on their draft board than Eastern Kentucky pass-rusher Noah Spence, and they chose Correa over Alabama running back Derrick Henry, Ohio State wide receiver Michael Thomas, LSU linebacker Deion Jones and Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander.

Correa stood out to Baltimore because he's smart, versatile and relentless.

"It didn’t take much to figure out that he was our kind of guy," Harbaugh said.

Correa led the Mountain West with 12 sacks in 2014 and he topped Boise State with seven sacks and 11 tackles for loss last season.

Asked what type of player the Ravens are getting, Correa said, "They picked a guy who is a hard worker, who isn’t going to stop, is dedicated and will help them win a Super Bowl.”..http://espn.go.com/blog/baltimore-ravens/post/_/id/27590/it-only-took-kamalei-correa-15-minutes-to-convince-ravens-to-draft-him

[oldno82]

Of course, only time will tell, but at least now I understand their reasoning in bypassing the others for him.

[varaven45]

Sounds good on paper. Let's see what this translates to on the field.