By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Missouri Western’s CJ Ravenell has dreamed about playing in the NFL since the sixth grade. Now, that dream is reality.
After going undrafted in this year’s NFL draft, CJ Ravenell was invited to two rookie minicamps, Baltimore and Indianapolis, he never made it to Indy though.
On the second day of camp. Being there on a tryout basis, the Ravens signed Ravenell to a contract.
Ravenell says when he got to sign the contract, he almost froze
“Like is this real right now, it’s a dream come true I couldn’t believe it, I couldn’t believe the opportunity I’ve dreamt about my whole life it was right there in front of me, it finally came,” Ravenell tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “Just the opportunity to get to that minicamp and then not a lot of guys get signed from tryouts.”
It’s still a long road ahead for Ravenell to make that 53-man roster, but he says he’s ready to put in the work to realize his dream.
Ravenell says going into the camp, his emotions were mixed.
“They’re not signing me, they didn’t draft me, so it’s like I’m very down low. basically, where I’m at on the list of guys that they want I’m probably all the way at the bottom right?” Ravenell says. “So, it’s like, it messes with me a little bit confidence wise.”
Ravenell says a mindset shift, and messages from his father, made him leave everything he had on the field, leave with no regrets, all that culminating in an NFL contract.
Ravenell becomes the tenth Griffon to make an NFL roster, joining the likes of Greg Zuerlien and Jonathan Owens.
Ravenell says representing not just himself, but also Missouri Western, at the next level can be summarized with one word: pride.
“It’s so much pride that I take in being able to say I’m from DII, I’m from Missouri Western, yeah I’m in the NFL right now, I have this opportunity, it’s a crazy thing because not a lot of guys get it, so it’s a blessing for sure,” Ravenell explains.
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