The Ravens might have hit the rookie-free-agent jackpot again.
The team has had success in the past with undrafted free agents like inside linebacker Bart Scott, center Mike Flynn and safety Will Demps. As the Ravens conclude offseason minicamps next week with a rookie minicamp, one player in particular has caught the eyes of the coaching staff.
Meet Kevin Joseph Gerard, better known as K.J., a cornerback-safety out of Northern Arizona. Usually, rookie free agents don't meet NFL standards. They are too slow, too small, too something. They typically become meat for the top players to beat on in training camp. Not Gerard.
"We're excited about him," Ravens defensive coordinator Greg Mattison said.
How excited?
"He has been very impressive during the camps," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "He has very good instincts and has been like a magnet to the ball."
Though there are no official statistics kept during offseason camps, Gerard has to be leading the team in interceptions. He had two Tuesday and seems to snatch one every day. Gerard's knack for picking off passes is what attracted the Ravens to him. In four seasons at Northern Arizona, Gerard set a school record with 19 interceptions.
It wasn't enough for an NFL team to draft him, but it was enough for the Ravens to court Gerard for weeks leading up to the April draft. Soon after the draft, Gerard became a Raven.
"When you have 19 interceptions, that doesn't happen by mistake. We thought there had to be something to the kid," Mattison said. "He seems to have a knack for being around the ball."
Gerard is a "tweener." He has a cornerback's body at 6 feet 1 and 187 pounds, but a safety's speed with a time of 4.48 seconds in the 40-yard dash. At Northern Arizona, he could survive as a corner, but his lack of speed might be a problem in the NFL, which is why a lot of teams backed away.
Northern Arizona also is not the same college football atmosphere as a Florida or Miami.
"I was hoping to get drafted, but teams weren't showing too much interest," Gerard said. "It was tough on draft day. My friends were calling and texting me, asking me when I was going to get drafted. Some of them were watching it on TV and kept asking me when it was going to happen.
"But I was glad when the Ravens called me because they have always been one of the top defensive teams in the league, and they had two guys I really wanted to meet in Ed Reed and Ray Lewis."
