BOISE, Idaho — Boise State football had three former players selected on Day Two of the 2016 NFL Draft Friday. STUD end Kamalei Correawas tabbed by the Baltimore Ravens with the 11th pick of the second round (42nd overall), safety Darian Thompson’s name was called by the New York Giants with the eighth pick of the third round (71st overall) and offensive tackle Rees Odhiambo was selected with the 34th pick of the third round (97th overall) by the Seattle Seahawks.
Correa is the eighth Bronco to be drafted in the second round all-time, and the first since Jamar Taylor was tabbed 54th overall by Miami in 2013. Correa, Thompson and Odhiambo are the 57th, 58th and 59th Broncos, respectively, overall to be drafted, and the 29th, 30th and 31st, respectively, since the NFL Draft went to its current seven-round format in 1994.
Together, Correa, Thompson and Odhiambo make for the second trio in Boise State history to be drafted within the first 100 picks of an NFL Draft. In 2012, the trio of Shea McClellin (19th, Chicago Bears), Doug Martin (31st, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Tyrone Crawford (81st, Dallas Cowboys) became the first.
Thompson is also the eighth Boise State defensive back to be selected since 2000, and the first safety since George Iloka in 2012 (Cincinnati Bengals). Odhiambo is the fourth Bronco offensive lineman to be selected since 2012, joining Nate Potter (2012, Arizona Cardinals), Matt Paradis (2014, Denver Broncos) and Charles Leno, Jr. (2014, Chicago Bears) in that group.
During his three seasons at Boise State (2013-15), Correa was a two-time All-Mountain West selection, being named to the first team in 2014 and to the second team in 2015. Correa played in 40 games during his Bronco career, amassing 110 tackles (69 solo) along with 20.0 sacks, 31.5 tackles-for-loss and five forced fumbles.
As a sophomore in 2014 he led the Mountain West in sacks (12.0) and was third with 19.0 TFL. Last season, he topped the Boise State defense in both sacks (7.0) and TFL (11.0).
Correa played a key role in each of Boise State’s bowl victories in 2014 and 2015. He sealed Boise State’s 2014 VIZIO Fiesta Bowl victory over Arizona with a sack of quarterback Anu Solomon at the Bronco 10-yard-line, and last December was named Defensive MVP of the 2015 Poinsettia Bowl when he racked up 2.0 sacks, 2.5 TFL and a forced fumble in the 55-7 win over Northern Illinois.
Thompson finished his collegiate career as the Mountain West’s all-time interceptions leader with 19, a total that also ranks third in Boise State’s record book. In 2015 Thompson picked off five passes and displayed his ability to come forward on defense, making 8.5 tackles-for-loss and a sack while ranking second on the team with 65 tackles (37 solo). His performance last season made him a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist and earned him four All-America nods, as he was named to the second teams of the FWAA and PhilSteele.com, the Associated Press Third Team, and honorable mention by Sports Illustrated. Following the season Thompson was invited to participate in the prestigious Reese’s Senior Bowl.
In 2014 Thompson tied for third in the country and shared the Mountain West lead with seven interceptions, earning a spot on the CBSSports.com All-America Second Team. For his career, Thompson was twice named to the All-Mountain West First Team (2014-15).
Over his four seasons playing at Boise State, Thompson played in 51 games, making 242 tackles (149 solo) with 15.0 tackles-for-loss, nine passes defended and three forced fumbles.
Odhiambo is a two-time All-Mountain West selection, being named to the first team in 2015 and to the second team in 2014. Last season he was named to the preseason watch lists of the Rotary Lombardi Trophy and the Outland Trophy. Despite his 2015 campaign ending prematurely due to injury, he helped anchor the line of a Bronco offense that led the Mountain West in scoring and total offense in both 2014 and 2015. With Odhiambo on the line, the Bronco offense also ranked in the national top 20 in each category from 2013-15 and produced four-straight 1,000-yard rushers from 2012-15.
