Howard County native strives to make Ravens roster as undrafted rookie
BALTIMORE -- It's tough for undrafted rookies to stick in the NFL. After wrapping up training camp, Beau Brade, a Howard County native, is one of the players who is trying to make the Ravens 53-man roster.
Beau Brade isn't worried about the odds. He was a standout player at River Hill High School in Howard County before making a name for himself at the University of Maryland.
Now he is looking to impress coaches on the Ravens staff and become a member of the team he grew up watching.
Beau Brade has been a Ravens fan his entire life, even though recently, he had to hide it.
"The last couple years of college I had to kind of chill out because I didn't know where I was going to be, so I was like alright I've got to stop being a fan," Brade, the Ravens safety said.
Brade was named the 2019 Howard County Defensive Player of the Year after his last season at River Hill. He went on to play college ball at the University of Maryland before declaring for the NFL Draft.
Now, as an undrafted rookie, he is working to make a name for himself and make the Ravens' regular-season roster.
"I've got to show what I can do. I can't be nervous, I have to be confident in my game," Brade said.
Being from Maryland and growing up a Ravens fan, Brade knows what it means to be a Raven.
"Lunch pail mentality, you know? Hard nose football," said Brade.
And he is proving that he belongs according to Zach Orr, Ravens Defensive Coordinator.
"Beau Brade has been great, man. He's a locked-in young guy. I love to see that as a UDFA (Undrafted Free Agent). We knew he was talented, coming from Maryland, and all he has done is come in and work," Orr said.
Brade is making the most of his opportunities. He had three tackles and one tackle for a loss in the preseason game against the Eagles.
"Playing against the best every day, you know, makes me so much better," Brade explained.
And his goals go well beyond just making the Ravens team.
"My number one goal is to win a Super Bowl. I don't really care much about the individual accolades, but I'm trying to get to that big [championship]," Brade said.