Ozzie Newsome Opening Statement:"Interesting day. We started out with eight picks in the rounds that we had left for the remainder of the draft. [We] got the opportunity to make some trades and were able to acquire two more picks. [We] can have a lot of fun in the fourth round tomorrow, as we have five picks. I don't know if any team – I guess some of you historians can check – has any team ever had that many picks in one round? If not, we're going to try to deal with that. It was exciting to do that, and it was even more exciting when we drafted 'K.C.' [Kamalei Correa]. I'm not going to butcher the name. These other guys have been practicing, (laughter) but when we interviewed him at the Combine, he said, 'Just call me "KC."' And that's what I'm going to call him. With he and Bronson [Kaufusi] both, we have some guys with big-time motors that play the game the way we like for it to be played on the defensive side of the ball. K.C. is a guy that can hold the edge but also can give us some pass rush. Also, as our defense evolves this year, he's also a guy that can stack without having to run from one side to the other, as John [Harbaugh] and Dean [Pees] are changing the defense. Kaufusi is a guy … We don't know how big he's going to get at this point. He can play two or three different spots for us also. We think we really helped the defense and we really helped our football team by making all of the trades."
Eric DeCosta Opening Statement:"We targeted big, smart, tough, physical and versatile guys this year on defense, and guys that can do a lot of different things. We think both K.C. and Bronson can line up at multiple spots. They have multiple skill sets; they do a lot of different things pretty well. Both guys are very, very smart and they're great kids. We're 3-for-3 right now, in that we've drafted three 'red star' players. It's not by design. We've never done that before, but it just fell that way. We got players that our coaches and scouts like. It's a great start to our big day tomorrow."
John Harbaugh Opening Statement:"Just to echo, I think you'll find out that these guys are the hardest working guys on those two teams. Just watch the clips. They fly around; they make plays all over the field. They're our kind of guys."
Joe Hortiz Opening Statement:"Nothing really to add. I am just excited to have both of these guys come join this club."
*With all of the maneuvering going on, was it a question of acquiring more picks, which you always like, or getting more value? Or were a couple of guys you coveted taken off the board sooner than you thought they would be? *(Joe Platania)
(NEWSOME) "No. To be honest, the guys that we started out the day [with] that we wanted to pick, the majority of the – all but one – were still on the board when we made the trades. That leads you to make trades. First, we only went back two spots, and then we went back maybe six or eight spots, because you can acquire a pick and still be able to get the one or two players that you had pegged at the beginning, so that's why we did it."
**Ozzie, with all of these picks tomorrow, did you try to work to get back in the second or third round today? Or are you comfortable where you are? *(Jeff Zrebiec)
(NEWSOME) *"No, we tried to get back into the bottom of the second round. We did, and were not able to do it. Just like last night – last night I told you guys that we may not try – we did try to get back into the first round. So, there is an opportunity with all of the picks that we could get back into the third round, probably not, but we never know if the opportunity [will] present itself."
**Eric, a few weeks ago you said you thought the fourth round might make or break the draft. Do you feel that way even more with five picks now instead of four? *(Cliff Brown)
(DeCOSTA) *"The pressure is on. We still have a lot of needs and a lot of really good players out there. We have a lot of guys that we're going to target. After this, we'll go upstairs and restack the board and change it a little bit based on some of the guys we drafted. It's a great opportunity for this team to get better and for our coaches and scouts working together to find five really good guys in the fourth round, and then the two guys in the sixth round. We may get some more picks at some point; we have the fifth-rounder, too. We've got a bunch of opportunities, and we're in a trading mood this year. We may just decide to trade all of our picks this year into next year and have 24 picks next year. *(laughter) *We'll see how it all shakes out."
**Ozzie, to clarify, after you traded down twice in the second round, did you consider trading down again? *(Jerry Coleman)
(NEWSOME) *"We had some opportunities, but it was nothing enticing. Where we had a chance to go back was a little bit further than where we really wanted to go. We were just moving back in small increments, I guess you could say. That last offer was a little bit further than we wanted. But, once we made the pick with [Kamalei Correa] and accumulated all of those picks, we did try to come back into the bottom of the second round."
**John, you guys use a defensive line rotation. How do you see those two pieces fitting in? *(Jeff Zrebiec)
(HARBAUGH) *"I can see why there is a lot of talk, because there is a lot off versatility with those guys. We're a multiple defense. We play what we call 'under,' we play 'over,' we play a form off 'odd,' and we play various nickel fronts. We've got two really versatile players. Kamalei [Correa] can play both outside 'backer positions. He can also line up on the edge and rush. We can also move him around in our odd package, what we call the 'X position,' a little bit of what Courtney [Upshaw] did rushing inside, and what Pernell [McPhee] did. What's interesting about Bronson [Kaufusi] is that you can do the same things with him, except he moves as a defensive end in the five-technique position in base. He can still stand up and move around and he can rush off the edge, too. And he has drop ability. He's an outside 'backer that moves to five-technique and plays 'X.' Kamalei is an outside 'backer that can move back off the ball and play linebacker, and rush as an 'X.' [We have] lots of versatility with those two guys."
*I know priority was to increase pressure on the quarterback. With these two picks, how much did you succeed in that goal? (Jamison Hensley)
(HARBAUGH) *"Absolutely. Two major things that these two guys bring to the table … What you just mentioned, they both have pass rush ability. They both get sacks, they are both high-motor players and high-energy pass rushers. These two guys are going to run to the ball. These two guys are going to run to the ball 100 miles an hour every single play. That's really important on defense."
Ozzie, Noah Spence probably didn't have a "red star" next to his name, but he was there when the Ravens were at 36, and then you dropped back. Was there any thought about picking him or did his character issues factor in? (Kirk McEwen)
(NEWSOME) "No. he was in play but, 'K.C.' [Kamalei Correa] was higher on our board than he was."
**I have a similar question with Myles Jack. When you traded with the Jacksonville Jaguars and moved away from him, was he in play for you at that point? What were your thoughts with him, given his knee situation? *(Ryan Mink)
(NEWSOME) *"There was a point between tonight and tomorrow that we would have taken Myles Jack. Other people just came up and got him before we did, before we thought we could get him."
*John, Kamalei mentioned that there hadn't been a lot of contact between him and the Ravens since the Combine, but said he had a good feel for the coaching staff. What do you remember about your interaction with him at Combine? *(Bo Smolka)
(HARBAUGH) "That's funny. (laughter) *I think Joe Hortiz does the best Kamalei impression. Do you want to do it, Joe?" *(laughter)
(HORTIZ) *"You guys will see it at some point."
*(HARBAUGH) *"When you meet him, you'll see it. We didn't need to talk too much. He was clean, physically. We knew what his character was. We had 15 minutes; that was all we needed to know. He was on the edge of his seat, looking you right in the eye and answering every question directly."
*(DeCOSTA) *"[His] leg was shaking the whole time." *(laughter)
(HARBAUGH) *"Yeah, his leg was shaking. *(laughter) So, it didn't take much to figure out that he was our kind of guy."
**Eric, there are a lot of questions about cornerbacks. You guys haven't taken one yet. Is that a reflection of you feeling you have a lot of depth at that position? Or, is it just how the board fell? *(Jeff Zrebiec)
(DeCOSTA) *"Sometimes the board comes to you, and sometimes you chase the board. Today, the board came to us. It just happened to be the two best players when we picked were an outside linebacker and a defensive end. I think tomorrow there's a lot of really good options at corner, and hopefully, we get the chance to get one. I think we will. You need a little luck sometimes, and it depends on the board, but there's still a lot of good players available at that position and other positions. The challenge for us will be to find those guys, to know our threshold as to when we're going to pick the guy, and to hopefully get him at that spot."
**Eric, you got two guys with Ronnie Stanley and now Bronson [Kaufusi] that are multi-sport guys. They both played basketball and it was really big in their upbringing. Is that something that's alluring to you? *(Ryan Mink)
(DeCOSTA) *"That's not something we really focus on. I just think it's indicative of their athletic ability, their body control [and] the way they handle themselves. These are two big guys with really good feet, and I think basketball probably has something to do with that. They can bend their knees [and are] flexible guys with good ball skills and things like that. It's good to get guys that play multiple sports, because their bodies are trained in a different way than a guy that's just focused on one specific sport. It works out well for us."
*Eric, you mentioned all three guys are "red star" guys. How big of a factor is that? *(Garrett Downing)
(DeCOSTA) "What it really amounts to is it's the players that the scouts really think are just awesome, on and off the field. They're not necessarily always the best players, but they're usually the very best kids – work ethic, demeanor, durability, character, practice habits, the way they carry themselves [and] running to the football in the fourth quarter. We try to draft as many of those guys as we can. We've been doing it since 1999. We started doing it [when] Ron Marciniak was one of our scouts – legendary scout – [who] came up with the term 'red star players.' Each scout had the ability to designate each player as a 'red star player' every year. We do it on the day before the draft. This year, as I said, the board has come to us, and we've been fortunate to get these guys, and we think they're going to be good."
*Who put the "red star" on Bronson Kaufusi? *(Ryan Mink)
(DeCOSTA) "I don't know this for a fact, but it was probably one of West Coast scouts. Either David Blackburn or Lonnie Young, I just can't remember. It's been a long couple of days." (laughter)
*Ozzie, how challenging is the fourth round going to be tomorrow? I think there's one stretch spanning the fourth or fifth round where you guys have four picks in 16 slots. (Jeff Zrebiec
(NEWSOME)* "It's going to be fun! Tonight, a lot of work is going to get done on the fourth round, and when whoever it is from the league office says the fourth round is getting ready to start, we'll be ready. I will say, because we have all of those picks, our phone will be ringing again. Whether we'll use all five picks? I don't know. The opportunity to take some of those picks and throw it into 2017 could present itself."
*What was the reaction in the draft room when a kicker was taken in the second round? *(Jerry Coleman)
(NEWSOME) "We were trying to trade up at that point, so we were mostly concentrating on that. Jerry Rosburg did say that he would probably be the first kicker taken."
KAMALEI CORREA CONFERENCE CALL
On how it feels to be drafted by the Ravens:"It's so overwhelming. It's something you can't explain. It's something you work hard for your whole life, and as soon as you see your name called on TV and then you get that call, your heart starts pumping. Your family starts going crazy, and it's just a moment of excitement and a new journey I'm ready to start."
On if he had a sense the Ravens were interested in him before the draft: "I honestly had no clue."
On if the Ravens showed any interest in him:"I met with them at the Combine. I had a great feel for their coaching staff, and that was the last I heard from them. I was just looking forward to the draft, and now I'm a Raven. I can't tell you guys how excited I am and how blessed I am for this opportunity. It's crazy."
On if the pick was a complete shock because he assumed the Ravens weren't interested: "It's not that I thought they weren't interested. I honestly had no clue where I was going, and I was just excited when I got that call."
On what kind of player he is: "I think they're getting what they picked. 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."
On how excited he is to learn from OLBs Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil: "I'm extremely excited. I've been watching these guys since I've been in middle school. I just can't tell you guys how excited I am to work with them, and how excited I am to play for coach [John] Harbaugh and all of those coaches. It's just an overwhelming experience. I am so lost for words right now."
On what Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh told him when they called: "At first, they just said, 'You're a Raven now,' and, 'We're so happy to have you,' and, 'We can't wait to see you,' and, 'We can't wait to see what you do on defense for us.'"
On how challenging it will be to transition to 3-4 outside linebacker: "I don't see it too much as a challenge, and that's just because of my work ethic. I'm going to keep working at something. And if I don't get it, I'm going to keep trying. I know one day that I will be a great one. I am just going to keep working until I am."
On his main strengths and areas of improvement: "My main strength is my intensity and my edge. I always have an edge to go get the ball. I'm like a see-ball, get-ball player. There's always room to work on your technique. I feel like I can always build on technique, but overall, I just play football."
On his impression of the Ravens organization: "I think they are a great organization. As soon as they got coach Harbaugh and Joe Flacco … I can go on for days. There is nothing bad to say about them, and I can't say in words how excited I am to be playing for them."
On his favorite NFL team growing up: "I was always a Green Bay Packer fan, but since April 29, that has changed. (laughter) Now, I'm a Raven for the rest of my life."
BRONSON KAUFUSI CONFERENCE CALL
On his emotions of getting drafted by the Ravens:"I'm so excited. I just can't wait to get to work. I just can't wait to get out there."
On what position he sees himself playing at the NFL level:"Defensive end."
On if he sees himself in multiple spots and if he can play outside linebacker:"I can play all over, multiple defensive fronts. I've played in the five-technique, the three-technique. For one year, my junior year, I played outside linebacker and was able to really learn the coverages and learned the game from that point of view, which I feel like really helped me going into my senior year where I played defensive end and outside linebacker. So, I feel like whatever they feel is the best, I feel like I can fit for them."
On what type of player the Ravens are getting in terms of his skill set:"They're getting a player that is relentless every single play, a player that wants to make plays, not only for myself but also for my teammates and coaches. [I'm] a dedicated player, someone who wants to be the best and is willing to put in the time and sacrifice so that I can be at my best when my best is needed."
On what it means to him to be a part of the Baltimore defense:"I can't wait to be a part of it. They have a great defense, great players, great coaches, and I just can't wait to be out there and be a part of it."
On if he thinks he could maintain his quickness if he put on more weight:"I feel like I can maintain that quickness. I think with that weight comes more power and more explosiveness as I'm able to lift and just get bigger. So, I feel like I can definitely put on that weight and remain fast."
On how much he's had a chance to watch the Ravens play:"Oh, yeah, I've watched Baltimore play. I watch them every NFL season."
On how much his basketball background has helped his movement skills:"I feel like basketball has been huge; it's so much agility, footwork, quick, lateral movement. I feel like it definitely added to my game, being able to move for a big man. I think having played basketball has helped me to do that."
On there being a lot of athletes in his family and who the best athlete is:"Well, anyone you ask in my family, they're all going to say that they are. (laughter) *But me, I feel like I'm the best athlete. I'm always willing to play anyone at any game in the family, whenever they want. So, we'll probably have to have some sort of playoff or something like that to see who the best athlete is." *(laughter)
On if that includes soccer:"My older sister played in high school, my younger sister played in college, and my wife played in college. I grew up playing soccer as a young kid, so we can all play soccer. My dad had us out there running around playing soccer since we were just little kids."
On how much his dad has helped guide him after being a former NFL player himself and being his coach at BYU:"My dad was really good about, growing up, letting us try everything. I played all sports growing up, and then as I got into high school he started to become a bigger part of sports, especially football. Every time we'd be watching football games, he'd say, 'Hey, hey, come over and watch this.' And he'd rewind it, and I'd watch it. Progressively, as I went from high school to college, he then became my coach, so I remember him spending time with me, watching film, and I'd always ask him, 'Hey, can we watch some extra film?' He was always willing to answer questions when I had them. Anytime I had a question about scheme or defensive calls, he was there to answer it, whether it was at home [or elsewhere]. But he was always supportive and wanted me to be the best version of myself and reach my potential. And I feel like the best football is still ahead of me, and he feels the same way."
On if there is anyone in the NFL that he compares his game to:"Some of my favorite players I love watching … I like watching Julius Peppers, and I like watching J.J. Watt. Just how they play, they're phenomenal players and they make a lot of plays and hustle. So, those are two players I watch a lot of film on."
