Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
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For the 33rd consecutive sea- son — a mark that is tied for the second-longest streak in the ACC — a UVA football player was picked in the NFL Draft. The Bal- timore Ravens, in need of depth in their secondary, picked UVA cornerback Maurice Canady in the sixth round with the 209th overall selection. It may have seemed like 33 years for Canady, an All-ACC per- former, and his family while they waited to hear his name called. "At first, it was a casual thing with my family and then every- one started feeling down be- cause my name wasn't getting called," Canady said. "But right after I got called, it's been a blessing to me and my family." Canady used his late selection as extra motiva- tion while competing for a roster spot in the Ravens' rookie camp in May. "I've been underrated since coming out of high school, so it's just another stepping-stone," he said. Canady is the first Cavalier drafted by Baltimore since 2014, when defensive tackle Brent Urban was taken in the fourth round. He is the fifth Cavalier ever to be drafted by the Ravens. While he is excited to be moving on with the next phase of his football career, Canady fondly recalled his time at UVA and his coaches. "Coach [Mike] London was a great coach, great mentor and a father figure for a lot of guys," Canady noted. "Coach [Jon] Tenuta was the same way and he took us under his wing. He's taught me a whole lot — not just football, but life lessons as well." Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said he feels really good about his draft picks at the cornerback position, Canady and Temple's Tavon Young. "With the final pick, that was a guy [Maurice Canady] who really showed up at the Senior Bowl and we did some additional work on," Newsome said. "The corner board was stacked pretty good, and we feel really good about Tavon and Maurice. "We were able to get some good, young talent to come in here and compete to make this roster. Right now, the Baltimore Ravens are a much better football team." Canady started all 12 games as a senior and fin- ished his career with 35 career starts, 148 tackles and five interceptions. The 6-1, 195-pounder has ideal size for what the Ravens want in their cornerbacks. Canady has a good shot to make the roster not only as a corner, but also possibly as a return specialist. He recorded UVA's fifth- longest punt return for a touchdown during the 2015 campaign, a 75-yard sprint against William & Mary. He also returned a blocked field goal 65 yards in 2014 against Miami, the longest blocked field goal return in program history. Canady said he's working to make a good impres- sion on his new coaches and position himself for a roster spot this fall. "Right now, my focus is working on my technique and doing everything I can do to be a better player," he said. — Greg Waters BEHIND THE SCENES MAURICE CANADY DRAFTED BY BALTIMORE RAVENS The Ravens selected Canady in the sixth round with the 209th overall pick, extending UVA's NFL Draft streak to 33 years. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA