The Baltimore Ravens have two Super Bowl wins in franchise history, and each of those teams had a safety from Purdue University on the roster.
While seventh-rounder Sanoussi Kane may not be Rod Woodson or Bernard Pollard yet, the young safety is more than ready to get to work. His ultimate goal is to replicate what his fellow Boilermakers-turned-Ravens did in reaching the mountaintop.
“I’m probably going to come across them now because we have that similar path from going to Purdue,” Kane said on Glenn Clark Radio April 30. “Obviously [neither] started with the Ravens, but they ended up being on the Ravens toward the end of their careers. So, I know I’ll probably get in contact with them soon, just ask them how it is to play like a Raven because the tradition hasn’t changed since when they were playing, going from Purdue to becoming a Baltimore Raven. And both of them got Super Bowl rings, too. So maybe a Purdue safety is what we need to get over that hump.”
The Ravens had nine picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the last of those picks came when the Ravens drafted Kane at No. 250 overall. Being drafted is a dream come true for Kane, but being called by the Ravens just felt like the right place given the safety’s tough, hard-nosed playing style.
Kane knew the moment he received a phone call from the Ravens on April 27 that all his work had paid off.
“It’s just a dream come true. When I looked at my phone, and I’ve seen the Maryland tag on there, I knew exactly who it was,” Kane said. “So, it was just a dream come true. Obviously, I waited a while, but at the end of the day, all that waiting is worth it when you get that call.”
While other players may be daunted by having to make the roster as a late-round pick, Kane isn’t deterred by how the events of the draft played out for him. Rather, he is excited that he has been given the chance to play for what he believes is a stellar organization. In Kane’s eyes, things couldn’t have worked out better for him. Now it’s up to him to further a Ravens tradition he is ecstatic about joining.
When entering the NFL Draft, some prospects have an easier time than others in feeling out which teams are and are not interested in them. For Kane, he always felt like the Ravens were the ones who showed the most interest in him. Kane hoped Baltimore would be his destination after a visit to Charm City.
“Baltimore was the first team that really showed a lot of interest. They had one of the DB coaches come out to my Pro Day, and then I went on a visit to Baltimore and I just liked the place. The visit went well, and I fell in love with Baltimore,” Kane said.
Outside of Kane’s familiarity with Ravens history and his affinity for the organization, he also has personal ties to current Ravens players. He played with linebackers David Ojabo and Odafe Oweh at Blair Academy in New Jersey.
Kane has kept in good touch with Ojabo and Oweh, both of whom have often given him advice as he has worked toward a professional career of his own. He still finds it surreal that he will get the opportunity to play alongside his old teammates in the NFL.
“When I went on my visit, David was actually in the facility so we got to chop it up. Me and David haven’t seen each other, until that point, in about three or four years because he went to school, I went to school. So we didn’t get a chance to either play each other or see each other, really. That was great, but we always talk on the phone,” Kane said. “Then me and Dafe, he’s always giving me advice about what I should do in my next steps. It was really cool to have that moment with those guys. After the draft, they called me and we were able to chop it up a little bit. It’s just an exciting feeling.”
Kane posted 161 total tackles, two sacks and 10 passes defensed in 45 games during his time at Purdue. Given Kane’s style of play and his path to the roster, it is no surprise that some have already drawn some connections between Kane and former Ravens safety Geno Stone, who recently signed a two-year $15 million deal with AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals.
Kane is familiar with Stone’s seventh-round story. He hopes carve out a similar path of success with the Ravens — but in his own way.
“I’m definitely familiar with his story,” Kane said. “… I’ve actually been hearing a lot more about his story since I got drafted by the Ravens, and it’s definitely inspirational. Obviously, you don’t want to get cut at all, but he worked through all the bumps and bruises that he had in his career and now he’s making a lot of money playing this game for the Bengals. Obviously, we don’t want him to go to the Bengals … but hopefully I can carve out a path similar to the one he carved out for himself.”
For more from Kane, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Purdue Athletics