Ravens Rookie Reveals 'Full Circle' Draft Day Moment

Losing his brother at a young age was one of several forms of adversity that Kone has had to go through and find a way to either overcome or cope with during his journey to the NFL and life in general up to this point.

While he was born in Apple Valley, Minnesota, Kone mostly grew up on the Ivory Coast of Africa where French was his first language. He had to learn English quickly prior to returning to the United States.

"Picking up English, then going from my freshman year, my little brother passed away, and that's when the motive came [to me]," Kone said. "That's when the purpose came [to me] a little bit, and I had an idea of how great a person he was on his earth, but then that's when perspectives came in, and I grew up a little quicker than most guys had to."

While Kone finished up his college career as a standout at Western Michigan for two seasons, he started from humble beginnings at the junior college level at Iowa Central Community College coming out of high school from 2020-2021 and had a one-year stint at Indiana State in 2022 before becoming a Bronco.

"Just going from [a] JUCO to Indiana State to Western Michigan, all those flashbacks are definitely reminiscent around these times right now, especially just sitting down and watching it happen in front of me," Kone said. "It is a surreal, full-circle moment, as well, just seeing all this and then having my family here, seeing what I've been through, seeing the challenges I've overcame throughout football. Yes, it's definitely been real."

Having to grind at the JUCO level where students are responsible for their own room and board oftentimes their own promotion to try to get offers from four-year schools taught Kone even more about himself as well as the drive and the resolve he possesses.

"The JUCO route is where you find out how much you really love football," Kone said. "It's a place where you just put your feet in the dirt and work every day, and if you don't really like football, you're probably gone before the end of the week. It showed me my purpose. It showed me how much purpose I really have. It showed me how much I'm willing to sacrifice, and I found my consistency there, so I'm grateful, for sure."

There was a period when he was in high school when he had to move away from his mother due to financial hardship and had to live with another family who he is still extremely grateful for. His lone season at Indiana State was cut short by a few games at the end of the year as a result of an injury to his thyoid which impacted his ability to speak and swallow for a while.

"I could barely eat, so I was on a liquid diet, and it was not fun," Kone said. "I was missing my burgers, I was missing a lot of those types of things that I usually eat, but I bounced back quickly just because I wanted to heal, and I knew I needed to transfer. I needed to get to a new situation, so I bounced back pretty quick."

With all he has endured on and off the field prior to entering the league, Kone has developed the intestinal fortitude to be successful and compete not only for a roster spot but a potential role outside of being a quality depth piece.

As a sixth-round pick, he is far from a lock to make the roster and could still get beat out by a less-heralded fellow rookie or a vested veteran. The Ravens haven't been afraid to move on from fourth and fifth-round picks at the position in recent years, let alone sixth-rounders. Some recent examples of young corners who couldn't stick around and were either traded or released include 2022 fifth-rounder Shaun Wade, 2023 fifth-rounder Kyu Blu Kelly and 2022 fourth-rounder Damarion Williams.

At 6-foo-1 and around 200 pounds, with impressive ball skills and production, Kone has desirable physical tools and traits. However, his mindset and approach to the game after everything he has been through and overcome are what can give him an edge over his competition.

"You're going to get a dog with a chip on his shoulder," Kone said. "You're going to get a guy who's been through the longest journey, and you're going to get a guy who has fought through every type of adversity you can probably think of, a guy who's seen a lot of different perspectives and is grateful and humble, but at the same time willing to work and ready for that spot at any time. That's the type of guy you're getting."