INDIANAPOLIS — Here at the NFL Combine, Mohamed Kamara appears to be making an impressive first impression.
He is friendly and polite, respectful and smart. The Colorado State edge rusher who is coming off a 13.0-sack senior season is showing teams he has the type of personality that would fit in well in an NFL locker room of 69 players – 53 on the active roster, 16 more on the practice squad.
He met with the Broncos during the week of the East-West Shrine Game that was played Feb. 1 in Frisco, Texas.
“Yeah, that would be cool,’’ Kamara said here Wednesday morning at his NFL Combine press conference when asked about the possibility of getting drafted by the Broncos. “I’ve been to Mile High my freshman year. That was an experience, that was the Rocky Mountain Showdown. That was something right there. That would be cool to be able to continue to have that relationship with Colorado. That’s a second home now.’’
Kamara, a bit small at 6-foot-1, but a well-built 250 pounds that he moves with sudden burst, said he has met with all 32 NFL teams either informally in a packed line at the players’ team hotel, or formally with teams in a room setting. Asked which was the weirdest question he’s been asked by teams, he thought about it for several seconds before answering.
“I would say they would ask if a vet asks you to pick up their pads or something like that, how would it make you feel?’’ Kamara said. “I would say, ‘I’ll pick it up, it doesn’t really matter. But just let them know I’m coming to take somebody’s spot, too.
“I’m a respectful guy. Even when I was a freshman, I had [upper classmen] that beat me up every practice. What’s his name, he’s over there with the [Arizona] Cardinals, [tight end] Trey McBride, he beat me up all the time. I’m talking about on the field. And then you’ve got to fight back. You’ve got earn their respect.”
After a dominant senior year at CSU – two of his sacks came against Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders – Kamara said he knows he’s about to become a freshman again when he’s a rookie in the NFL this year.
“I’m going to pick up their pads,’’ he said. “But I’m taking somebody’s spot, too.”
Kamara was asked to describe his play when teams watch him on film.
“My determination. My hustle,’’ he said. “I feel like I play at a different speed, different aggression than everybody else. That’s what stands out.”
Kamara and another tight end, Dallin Holker, are representing the CSU Rams here at the Combine.
“He’s sneaky quick,’’ Kamara said. “You’d think he’s slow but he’s sneaky. He catches the ball and he’ll turn up and make a DB miss. He’s great at that. He put on some good weight. He’s going to hit you now.
“He’s a lot like me. We’re not super big or super fast. But when it comes to the field, we stand out.”
Growing up a Steelers fan in Newark, N.J., Kamara said he has been pleasantly surprised by how nice the NFL head coaches and general managers – many of them household names – have been here at the Combine.
“To me they’re famous,’’ Kamara said. “The coaches, the coaching staff, to me they’re famous. But they’re regular people. They’re really, really nice. That’s been the biggest surprise.’’
He singled out Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin, and the Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh.
“Coaches are always asking what’s your favorite [pass-rush] move?’’ Kamara said. “What your go-to move? Speed. If I get to the corner, that’s the greatest move.’’
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