INDIANAPOLIS— What does a dream look like for Colorado State edge rusher Mohamed Kamara?
It’s walking past Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh in the hallway. It’s entering a room to meet Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin, and trying to contain the inner child that grew up watching former Steelers like Antonio Brown, Jerome Bettis and Ben Roethlisberger.
It’s standing inside a brightly lit ballroom, with a camera pointed directly at him, answering questions about his play style and scheme fits.
“Before I got into the room (with Tomlin), I had to breathe,” Kamara said on Wednesday.
Kamara’s trip to the NFL scouting combine has been a fantasy come to life. Now, the Newark, New Jersey, native hopes to make these moments pay off by landing on an NFL roster.
“I’ve been playing all my life, and not every day has been successful,” he said. “(Playing in the NFL) would mean the world.”
Kamara put himself in a position to get selected in the 2024 NFL draft in April after transforming himself into a sack machine during his five seasons in Fort Collins. He finished his career fourth in school history with 30 sacks and recorded 21½ combined over the last two seasons.
As a graduate student in 2023, Kamara was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 56 tackles, 13 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. He was the third Colorado State player to receive that honor and first linebacker since Shaquil Barrett in 2013 — and that turned out pretty well for the two-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ.
Kamara believes his combination of size, speed and aggression allowed him to consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks. The 6-foot-1, 250-pound pass rusher had three games where he recorded multiple sacks, including three in a loss to Utah State.
“At the end of the day, you have to come up to my level to block me,” he said.
Kamara is hoping his versatility will pique the interest of NFL teams. He said he can line up either as an outside linebacker or defensive end and added that he’s not married to any particular scheme. Whether it’s a 3-4 or 4-3 base defense, Kamara is confident he can thrive.
While Kamara’s production might be taken with a grain of salt since he didn’t do it on a Power Five level, he trusts scouts and teams to stir away from that stigma.
“I’m here for a reason, regardless of whether I (played) in a Group of Five or not,” he said. “And there are a few guys (at the combine) from a Group of Five (school) that can rock with the best of them.”
Tuesday was a long day for Kamara. He talked about meetings with the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys before his mind went blank because he spoke with so many teams that it was hard to keep track of.
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However, Kamara mentioned he met with the Broncos while in Las Vegas for the East-West Shrine Bowl. He said it would be cool to play in Denver since Colorado has become a second home. He also said it would be great to end up in Tampa Bay even after the Bucs released Barrett, a former Ram whom Kamara keeps in contact with.
But at the end of the day, Kamara only wants a shot. Whichever team allows him to compete at the highest level, he says they will get his complete effort.
“I’m trying to get a job in a couple of months, so I don’t care,” Kamara said. “… Making that 53-man roster, even being a practice (squad) player shows a resilience that most people can’t fathom.”
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