By all accounts Kelly Gregg should be selling insurance or coaching high school football.
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At 6-foot tall, 310 pounds, he's not the type of football player who makes ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. jump out of his seat.
But combine numbers and times for the 40 sometimes aren't the true measure of a football player. The former Oklahoma standout has gone from sixth-round draft pick to starting tackle for the Baltimore Ravens, one of the NFL's best defenses.
With cornerback Chris McAlister and all-pro linebacker Ray Lewis, the Ravens are a dazzling blend of speed and power. And then there is Gregg, a run-stuffing, human tree trunk at the epicenter of it all. Only after stops in Cincinnati, Philadelphia and NFL Europe did Gregg begin to find his way.
"I just had to bide my time," he said. "I wasn't a high pick but one of the best things about this league is if you can play, they'll give you a chance, and if you can't they will weed you out."
Gregg's arrival in Baltimore wasn't without problems. In August 2001, he tackled star running back Jamal Lewis during a training camp practice. The tackle was clean, but Lewis tore his ACL and missed the season. The Ravens weren't able to defend their Super Bowl crown, routed by Pittsburgh in the playoffs.
But after a six-win 2005 season, Baltimore (3-0) is back. The defense may be as good as it was in 2000. The Ravens are currently No. 2 in total defense, allowing less than 200 yards per game.
"I think guys just got fed up with losing," Gregg said. "We have some veteran leadership in a guy like Steve McNair. Our offense is like night and day. As a defense, we're playing with leads and not on the field as much."
Gregg has already secured a place in the team's 2006 highlight reel. In a game against Oakland, he recovered a fumble and ran 59 yards with it before Ray Lewis swiped it.
"I looked like a runaway beer truck," Gregg said. "I just ran out of gas."
His career isn't running out of gas, however. At 29, Gregg is in his prime. He signed a five-year extension in 2003 and is coming off the best three years of his career. Gregg may not be huge, but he's strong. He was a three-time state heavyweight wrestling champion in high school. Much of his game comes from what he learned as a wrestler.
"That's the only reason I'm playing in the NFL," Gregg said. "Everybody wants the 6-3 or 6-4 guys that look good in shorts. I use my technique and leverage. All of that comes from wrestling."
Rick Bollenbach coached Gregg's seventh-grade football team and his high school wrestling team. The signs of something special were there early, but not glaring.
"He was a good football player in seventh grade, but he wasn't any kind of superstar," Bollenbach said. "He stood out a little bit. He's just one of those guys who worked his tail off and overachieved."
Gregg hit a growth spurt his sophomore year and everything began to change on the gridiron and on the mat. The kid became a man among boys. Edmond North assistant wrestling coach Larry Tettleton was one of Gregg's many victims.
"He'd say ‘Coach, do you want peanuts on this flight' and then he'd launch me across the mat," Tettleton said.
"I miss Oklahoma so much," Gregg said. "I love coming home in the offseason. We go to the lake and fish."
Baltimore Ravens’ Corey Ivy, left, jumps in the chest of teammate Kelly Gregg, right, after Gregg recovered a fumble during al game against the Oakland Raiders, MATTHEW GUNBY, AP
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