Welcome to Baltimore, Kamalei Correa Round 2 Pick 42

[Runnin Raven]

FWIW someone mentioned Clay Matthews in terms of "violence", but not as "high-twitch".  The 2 guys on the video went into a painfully long discussion about the merits of comparisons and kind of came up empty.

[JoeyFlex5]

1 hour ago, usmccharles said:

Any pro comparisons?

Actually I take that post back... I forgot the comparison that I thought was most accurate, clay Matthews. I'm surprised I forgot that comp entirely lol

[ALPHA]

I think his real value will be 4th quarters where his motor will still be running hot. I think hes a specialist like Doom.

Edited May 5, 2016 by ALPHA

[sflegend89]

People want to talk about short arms and undersized with Correa, heck Dumervil is significantly smaller than Correa and has had an awesome career as a push rush specialist. The secret to Doom's success most notably has been his motor, pass rush moves, and understanding of leverage. Correa has the motor, the latter things can be taught to him in time. 

I think with Correa's explosiveness all he really needs is a go-to pass rush move. Doom has that spin, I think Correa could benefit a lot from learning from Doom and Suggs during camp this year to get those types of pass rush moves in his arsenal. He's really fortunate to have such great mentors and I'm excited to see him put those physical skills to good use and evolve in the mental aspect of the game his rookie year. I thought Correa had the quickest first step off the snap in the entire draft class, I see a lot of potential.

Edited May 6, 2016 by sflegend89

[PeRK82]

Just got done watching his highlight video,  I MUST SAY, im pretty impressed. Really hope he balls out.

[ellicottraven]

This guy is just a hard nosed football player who's always all in!

[ALPHA]

Correa, Kaufusi, Judon, if only one of these guys is a hit the draft is a success but if two or three hit we're going to destroy offenses.

[Raven'evermore]

4 hours ago, ALPHA said:

Correa, Kaufusi, Judon, if only one of these guys is a hit the draft is a success but if two or three hit we're going to destroy offenses.

 Don't forget Ochi and Henry.  I almost feel sorry for oposing qbs. I said almost. 

[The Raven]

On 5/5/2016 at 9:00 AM, JoeyFlex5 said:

For those that say Correa is too small and weak and can't engage, watch the BYU film where He gets a sack and multiple TFL out of the 5tech. 

 

The more I watch the more I think he was an absolute steal. He is 6'3" 245 lining up as 34DE and still making splash plays. This kid is gonna be a monster playing with a coaching staff that properly utilizes him and a strong supporting cast. 

 

Link please?

Nevermind, found it.

 

Now, after watching this, my concerns about his strength are lessened, but not by much. He gets stonewalled an awful lot. What makes him look strong is his ability to turn speed into power. But when the offensive linemen doesn't get beat off the snap, Correa gets stonewalled every time. 

Now, you mentioned that he got a lot of snaps at 3-4 DE. Not really. He rushed into inside lanes a lot, but I wouldn't say he was lining up as a 3-4 DE. Also, sure, he beat guys inside. That's not actually an indicator of his strength. Every time he rushed the inside gap, he won on a finesse move.

On the plus side, his explosiveness is incredible. This film really shows to me why we got him where we did. He's versatile as hell and explosive.

Edited May 7, 2016 by The Raven

[JoeyFlex5]

2 hours ago, The Raven said:

 

Link please?

Nevermind, found it.

 

Now, after watching this, my concerns about his strength are lessened, but not by much. He gets stonewalled an awful lot. What makes him look strong is his ability to turn speed into power. But when the offensive linemen doesn't get beat off the snap, Correa gets stonewalled every time. 

Now, you mentioned that he got a lot of snaps at 3-4 DE. Not really. He rushed into inside lanes a lot, but I wouldn't say he was lining up as a 3-4 DE. Also, sure, he beat guys inside. That's not actually an indicator of his strength. Every time he rushed the inside gap, he won on a finesse move.

On the plus side, his explosiveness is incredible. This film really shows to me why we got him where we did. He's versatile as hell and explosive.

It was a 34 formation and He was one of 3 down linemen, so he was playing at 34DE lol. And he may have been winning with finesse moves and explosion but you don't just line up and take on the big boys and succeed with pure finesse, you need toughness and strength to complement the explosiveness if you wanna win on the inside, he might not be James Harrison but he isn't a softy by any means.

[RayRocks]

The thing about Correa that a lot of people don't understand is that in terms of edge rushers in the draft, he may have had the MOST untapped potential (outside of maybe Leonard Floyd).  Joey Bosa, you know what you're getting and the knock on him was that 'maybe' he had reached his ceiling (although I wasn't a believer in that theory).  With Spence, he was a pure edge rusher that probably maxed out his frame and he had some questionable character.

Correa (who admittedly was one of my favorite players in the draft) is very young (20 or 21), is extremely explosive with a tough motor and a frame to add some bulk and is a high character guy.  If you watch his tape that is available online, you'll actually notice that he dropped into coverage very often and also played contain and QB spy a lot of the time.  When he pinned back his ears and rushed the QB, you saw fantastic results, which is probably why his numbers from his sophomore year look better.

I honestly think there's a really good chance that Correa ends up being our best player from this class even though his 'bust potential' might be higher than some of the other prospects that were available at our original 2nd round pick.

[RaineV1]

I do like the flexibility and unpredictability that Correa gives our defense. He can rush the passer or drop back to cover the TE, RB, or be in zone coverage. When Doom is on the field, he know what he's probably going to do and how to handle it. Same goes for most of our OLBs. Correa will keep the blockers guessing. He isn't the best any one thing, but he can do nearly everything.

[Filmstudy]

On 4/30/2016 at 1:46 AM, RaineV1 said:

Nah. I think Kafusi will probably play at DE. He's already 285 and most guys add weight when they get into an NFL training program.

To me, BK's ability to rush from the 5T may well define this draft for the Ravens.  If he can generate solid pash rush productivity plus a few batted passes per year from inside, the Ravens should have a fearsome 4-man front on passing downs (Suggs/Correa/Dumervil outside with Jernigan, Kaufusi inside).

Just 2 years ago, McPhee was the team's defensive MVP (that's my opinion, of course) and keyed the pass rush success of Suggs and Dumervil by demanding, and regulalry beating, double teams on the inside.  The Ravens had the best 4-man front in the league for the 2nd half.

BK doesn't need to be McPhee, because Jernigan is also a dangerous pass rusher if singled, but he does need to prove he can win when singled at this level.  He also needs to quickly demonstrate he should win the win the situational pass rushing role over Guy and over the 3-ILB option Pees used in 2015. 

If the team is forced to move BK to OLB, they'll have lost a great deal of value for the highest leverage plays.

[The Raven]

13 hours ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

It was a 34 formation and He was one of 3 down linemen, so he was playing at 34DE lol. And he may have been winning with finesse moves and explosion but you don't just line up and take on the big boys and succeed with pure finesse, you need toughness and strength to complement the explosiveness if you wanna win on the inside, he might not be James Harrison but he isn't a softy by any means.

3 man front =/= 3-4 formation. He was rarely, if ever, playing the 3 or 5 in a base formation, so saying he was in as a 3-4 DE is... inaccurate.

Yes, you do need the toughness and strength to compliment explosion, because in the NFL, explosion isn't enough. To reiterate what I said in my first post, when he was consistently stonewalled when his explosiveness wasn't enough to beat the lineman off the snap, - a sign of a lack of strength. If he didn't get win with athleticism, he wasn't strong enough to recover with strength. I rarely saw him drive anyone back. He got around linemen, not through them. I'm not saying it didn't happen, but it was infrequent.

[gilgamesh]

19 hours ago, The Raven said:

 

Link please?

Nevermind, found it.

 

But when the offensive linemen doesn't get beat off the snap, Correa gets stonewalled every time. 

 

How can you tell the difference between him getting stonewalled and him setting the edge?

[KBoum]

Its pretty easy to see when he's got a few steps his speed turns in a very good amount of power. Imagine what he could do in a disguised or delayed blitz from the LB position behind a 4 men front. He's very versatile and not a lot of RBs would be able to keep him blocked for long

[JoeyFlex5]

5 hours ago, The Raven said:

3 man front =/= 3-4 formation. He was rarely, if ever, playing the 3 or 5 in a base formation, so saying he was in as a 3-4 DE is... inaccurate.

Yes, you do need the toughness and strength to compliment explosion, because in the NFL, explosion isn't enough. To reiterate what I said in my first post, when he was consistently stonewalled when his explosiveness wasn't enough to beat the lineman off the snap, - a sign of a lack of strength. If he didn't get win with athleticism, he wasn't strong enough to recover with strength. I rarely saw him drive anyone back. He got around linemen, not through them. I'm not saying it didn't happen, but it was infrequent.

Did you watch the byu film? He was a 5tech in a 34. I don't know how you say otherwise, 3 down linemen, he had his hand in the dirt and lined up on the tackles outside shoulder. By definition he was lining up as a 5tech.

[The Raven]

7 hours ago, gilgamesh said:

How can you tell the difference between him getting stonewalled and him setting the edge?

Because I'm not talking about how he played the run. I'm talking about his pass rush, where it's quite easy to see if he gets stonewalled or not.

If he struggled against the run, I would have said that he was getting driven back and blown off the ball.

5 hours ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

Did you watch the byu film? He was a 5tech in a 34. I don't know how you say otherwise, 3 down linemen, he had his hand in the dirt and lined up on the tackles outside shoulder. By definition he was lining up as a 5tech.

It was not often a 3-4, but it's not worth going back and forth. Yes, there were some snaps he was a 5 tech in a 3 man front, but they were infrequent.

5 technique is NOT a 3-4 DE by definition, especially not in a pass rush situation. More times than not, he was playing the 7. Moreover, the few snaps he played the 5, he wasn't doubled, and he didn't two gap - two things that 3-4 DEs need to be able to handle. 

I like the guy, but let's not pretend he's all that strong. He's got average strength if that.

Edited May 8, 2016 by The Raven

[LosT_in_TranSlatioN]

26 minutes ago, The Raven said:

Because I'm not talking about how he played the run. I'm talking about his pass rush, where it's quite easy to see if he gets stonewalled or not.

If he struggled against the run, I would have said that he was getting driven back and blown off the ball.

It was not often a 3-4, but it's not worth going back and forth. Yes, there were some snaps he was a 5 tech in a 3 man front, but they were infrequent.

5 technique is NOT a 3-4 DE by definition, especially not in a pass rush situation. More times than not, he was playing the 7. Moreover, the few snaps he played the 5, he wasn't doubled, and he didn't two gap - two things that 3-4 DEs need to be able to handle. 

I like the guy, but let's not pretend he's all that strong. He's got average strength if that.

Fortunately strength is one of those things you can improve upon. He would need to gain weight in muscle and in an NFL weight room that is very possible. I dislike his lack of pass rushing moves as well. But he played at a school with notoriously awful edge coaching. Hopefully we can coach him up a bit. I heard someone compare him to Upshaw earlier. Upshaw did not have his explosiveness. Hell, if he's a reverse Upshaw I'll be happy

[JoeyFlex5]

2 hours ago, The Raven said:

Because I'm not talking about how he played the run. I'm talking about his pass rush, where it's quite easy to see if he gets stonewalled or not.

If he struggled against the run, I would have said that he was getting driven back and blown off the ball.

It was not often a 3-4, but it's not worth going back and forth. Yes, there were some snaps he was a 5 tech in a 3 man front, but they were infrequent.

5 technique is NOT a 3-4 DE by definition, especially not in a pass rush situation. More times than not, he was playing the 7. Moreover, the few snaps he played the 5, he wasn't doubled, and he didn't two gap - two things that 3-4 DEs need to be able to handle. 

I like the guy, but let's not pretend he's all that strong. He's got average strength if that.

I wasn't calling him a 34DE lol I'm not an idiot, I'm just saying in a few snaps he lined up there and even made some splash plays, I know He can't 2 gap, it's just a counter argument for those that say he can't handle himself when engaged with the OT, making splash plays lined up from the 5T disproves that a bit because you are going to have to engage the tackle in that position, which he did successfully. 

I would never suggest we take a smaller explosive edge rusher like correa and line him up at 34DE lol

[KBoum]

4 hours ago, JoeyFlex5 said:

I wasn't calling him a 34DE lol I'm not an idiot, I'm just saying in a few snaps he lined up there and even made some splash plays, I know He can't 2 gap, it's just a counter argument for those that say he can't handle himself when engaged with the OT, making splash plays lined up from the 5T disproves that a bit because you are going to have to engage the tackle in that position, which he did successfully. 

I would never suggest we take a smaller explosive edge rusher like correa and line him up at 34DE lol

well I remember that game and he made 1 splash play, causing a sack after a finess inside move on the OT. because the OT didn't touch him. pretty much every times the OT had his hands on him he was a non factor. he played multiple front in that game I remember he played some Nickle D-End outside rusher. it was more 6-tech. He also played a few snaps at 5-tech in a 3 men front like you said. he also played some snaps off the ball as a LB. I even saw him on a few snaps 6-tech in 4-3 If I remember correctly.

 

what stood out to me everytime : 

1- His first step is WOW

2- when he plays off the ball he turns his speed into power very well I remember a play he crosse blitz in the middle for a huge tackle for loss on the RB

[ALPHA]

At the NFL level whatever speed to power game he has is going to be negated by his light bodyweight.

[KBoum]

4 minutes ago, ALPHA said:

At the NFL level whatever speed to power game he has is going to be negated by his light bodyweight.

if he's engaged by Offensive Linemen I agree right now he lacks some core strengh, but if he gets blocked by RBs, I don't know lots of RBs / TEs who could block him on every plays. thats why I keep saying he would be better behing a 4 men front at this point

[JoeyFlex5]

7 hours ago, KBoum said:

well I remember that game and he made 1 splash play, causing a sack after a finess inside move on the OT. because the OT didn't touch him. pretty much every times the OT had his hands on him he was a non factor. he played multiple front in that game I remember he played some Nickle D-End outside rusher. it was more 6-tech. He also played a few snaps at 5-tech in a 3 men front like you said. he also played some snaps off the ball as a LB. I even saw him on a few snaps 6-tech in 4-3 If I remember correctly.

 

what stood out to me everytime : 

1- His first step is WOW

2- when he plays off the ball he turns his speed into power very well I remember a play he crosse blitz in the middle for a huge tackle for loss on the RB

He made a nice TFL against the run from the 5T as well in that game. He swimmed across the tackle and flew through a skinny lane and absolutely lit up the rb for a good 5 yard loss almost the very second he touched the ball.

Making a successful swim move is what I would call engaged, even though the tackle never really got a hand on him he was matched up and got in close and made a move to beat the block

[Halshayeji]

On May 7, 2016 at 2:42 AM, Filmstudy said:

To me, BK's ability to rush from the 5T may well define this draft for the Ravens.  If he can generate solid pash rush productivity plus a few batted passes per year from inside, the Ravens should have a fearsome 4-man front on passing downs (Suggs/Correa/Dumervil outside with Jernigan, Kaufusi inside).

Just 2 years ago, McPhee was the team's defensive MVP (that's my opinion, of course) and keyed the pass rush success of Suggs and Dumervil by demanding, and regulalry beating, double teams on the inside.  The Ravens had the best 4-man front in the league for the 2nd half.

BK doesn't need to be McPhee, because Jernigan is also a dangerous pass rusher if singled, but he does need to prove he can win when singled at this level.  He also needs to quickly demonstrate he should win the win the situational pass rushing role over Guy and over the 3-ILB option Pees used in 2015. 

If the team is forced to move BK to OLB, they'll have lost a great deal of value for the highest leverage plays.

I absolutely agree. If BK gains 10 pounds and polishes his technique a bit, Jernigan and him could cause havoc while B.Williams swallows double teams. Guy Williams and Henry are not too shabby themselves. We got guys like Urban and KLM fighting for roster spots. 

 

We didn't quite replace Ngata but we sure as heck offset that loss. Finally!

 

[Italian Raven]

3 minutes ago, Halshayeji said:

I absolutely agree. If BK gains 10 pounds and polishes his technique a bit, Jernigan and him could cause havoc while B.Williams swallows double teams. Guy Williams and Henry are not too shabby themselves. We got guys like Urban and KLM fighting for roster spots. 

 

We didn't quite replace Ngata but we sure as heck offset that loss. Finally!

 

I don't think BK problem playing inside is due to his lack of weight. It's not those 10 or 20 pounds that prevent him from playing 3-4DE. He plays too tall pads and is absolutely not a two gapper. His base is not wide and low enough to maintain the stance and provide some push. You'll notice he doesn't control his blocker with his hands but rather swims in B or try a shoulder dip outside.

This to say that even though I really start to like his potential as a Sam (he could eventually develope in the most valuable pick this year) I don't see him adding more weight and being moved inside nor I think the Ngata role has been fullfulled by this draft.

[Halshayeji]

4 minutes ago, Italian Raven said:

I don't think BK problem playing inside is due to his lack of weight. It's not those 10 or 20 pounds that prevent him from playing 3-4DE. He plays too tall pads and is absolutely not a two gapper. His base is not wide and low enough to maintain the stance and provide some push. You'll notice he doesn't control his blocker with his hands but rather swims in B or try a shoulder dip outside.

This to say that even though I really start to like his potential as a Sam (he could eventually develope in the most valuable pick this year) I don't see him adding more weight and being moved inside nor I think the Ngata role has been fullfulled by this draft.

I think I stated his teqnique needs a bit of polishing but 10 pounds would be mustard on the hot dog lol. And hell no he ain't Ngata but with the depth we have we can offset his loss. B.Williams and Jernigan are potential pro bowlers. Guy really impressed me last year. Believe me, I almost cried when Ngata left but I think we'll be just as good with the guys we have.

[Italian Raven]

35 minutes ago, Halshayeji said:

I think I stated his teqnique needs a bit of polishing but 10 pounds would be mustard on the hot dog lol. And hell no he ain't Ngata but with the depth we have we can offset his loss. B.Williams and Jernigan are potential pro bowlers. Guy really impressed me last year. Believe me, I almost cried when Ngata left but I think we'll be just as good with the guys we have.

Ah ok.. I thought you were referring to BK as a potential starter (and Ngata replacement) next to B.Williams once he added more weight.

I must have misunderstood it then. I just don't get what's the purpose of him putting up a dozen lbs, then.

Who in this league wants a 300 pounds 4-3 DE/Sam? 

 

Edit.. just realized we're in the wrong post.. this was supposed to be KC's.

Edited May 9, 2016 by Italian Raven

[Winchester]

3 hours ago, Italian Raven said:

Ah ok.. I thought you were referring to BK as a potential starter (and Ngata replacement) next to B.Williams once he added more weight.

I must have misunderstood it then. I just don't get what's the purpose of him putting up a dozen lbs, then.

Who in this league wants a 300 pounds 4-3 DE/Sam? 

 

Edit.. just realized we're in the wrong post.. this was supposed to be KC's.

lol however I agree Kufusi is not an interior player at any weight. It would better serve him to drop 20 lbs of the bad weight he is carrying then pack on 10-12 lbs of fast twitch muscle and play at a leaner stronger more explosive 270-280 or so for 4-3 edge rusher/ 3-4 rush olb. That is his skills and position. He has a ceiling of a hybrid of Cameron jordan/Michael McCrary. And a very effective edge rusher. KC the more I consider it has skills to be a very good 3 down 4-3 olb/3-4 ilb that is an awesome Blitzer as well. He has speed to cover and play sideline to sideline and take on blocks. If Kufusi can get in top shape and be a very good edge rusher then defenses will have hard time blocking Correa when he blitzes because of having to deal with Dumervil, Williams Jernigan Henry and Kufusi. So when Correa blitzes he will have a similar effect as Boulware. If ravens play 3-4 it Kufusi needs to lose 20 lbs and adding a couple steps of speed to his game because he is carrying some excess weight. He could get his game speed to the 4.75 range.

[Virginia 55]

After watching this guy in the preseason, I'm not at all impressed.  He isn't even making splash plays.

 

Can't get off a block. Bad angles of pursuit.  Unable to read the offensive line to dissect plays.  

Myles jack was our best option here. We totally missed on this draft. Why is this guy here.  What can he do?