Ravens rookie free agent cornerback Sammy Seamster wasn't a prized high school recruit. He wasn't a big-time college player.
But when it came to the NFL, Seamster got more attention than he ever had before. After Seamster went undrafted, there were about 20 teams contacting his agent.
How does that happen?
It's because Seamster is a late bloomer with an alluring size-speed combination. He measures in at 6-foot-0, 205 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in under 4.5 seconds.
That generated lots of buzz, and made Seamster one of the most talked about rookie free agents the Ravens added this offseason. Now he has to grow up fast and prove he's more than just measurables.
"It's exciting; it boosted [my confidence] quite a bit," Seamster said of the attention. "But I still have to come to this level and prove what I can do."
Seamster was at one time recruited by Tennessee, but the major college program cooled on him late in the process. Syracuse was interested, but Seamster had already chosen small-school Middle Tennessee State and didn't want to change his mind.
Despite the lower level of competition, Seamster still didn't start until his senior year. He played in 44 career college games with just 10 starts. As a senior, he made a career-high 33 tackles and recorded his first-career interception.
Seamster was frequently asked by NFL scouts for the reason he didn't get more playing time in college.
"It was just a coach's decision. I never got in trouble and I didn't have off-the-field issues," he said. "I was just going to do whatever I had to do to help the team, whether that's special teams or running down punts."
Part of the issue is that Seamster got a late start on football. He didn't start playing the sport until his freshman year of high school.
"I was a late bloomer, I guess you could say," Seamster said. "It kind of helps me a little bit because I know I have so many more things to learn from coaches to help my game."
Seamster is one of several rookie free agent defensive backs learning in Ravens camp. He's joined by Ayodeji Olatoye and Tramain Jacobs. Baltimore also added veterans Dominique Franks and Aaron Ross to the mix. The Ravens will likely keep one or two of those players to round out the cornerback corps.
Seamster's advantage over all of them is his size and speed. He feels like he can match up well in Baltimore's press-coverage packages.
Head Coach John Harbaugh was impressed with what he saw from Seamster, Olatoye and Jacobs early on.
"They have long arms, they have pretty good hips, good feet, all of them have good ball skills," Harbaugh said. "I think our scouts did a really good job of finding those guys."
