When Corey Bullock heard his name called at M&T Bank Stadium as a starter in last week's preseason opener, he was trying not to freak out.
"That was a holy crap moment," Bullock said. "I had to take a deep breath before I even ran out the tunnel."
Bullock hails from Accokeek, Md., in southern Prince George's County and went to Gwynn Park High School. After starting his college career at North Carolina Central, he transferred to the University of Maryland for his final two seasons.
Now he's in his second training camp playing for his favorite childhood team, trying to land a coveted spot on the 53-man roster and giving himself a darn good shot to become the latest Ravens-Maryland feel-good underdog story.
Last year, Maryland native and Terp Beau Brade made the 53-man roster. The year before, it was the son of a former Ravens Super Bowl winner, Keaton Mitchell, and Baltimore product Malik Hamm. Given that he started the preseason opener, Bullock seems to be at the top of the pack in the competition to be the Ravens' backup center behind two-time Pro Bowler Tyler Linderbaum.
If Bullock makes the 53-man roster, it would be an extraordinary jump. After going undrafted last year, Bullock spent all of his rookie season on the practice squad. He has a lot of competition in this year's training camp, considering the Ravens have drafted five offensive linemen in the past two years. But Bullock has thoroughly impressed his teammates and coaches this summer.
"He's done a great job," Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken said this week. "When a player makes the practice squad, you try to elaborate to them that this is a one-year opportunity, maybe more, but you're here to help us practice, but also to develop. Don't take it as just, 'Hey, I go out there and read a card, and I show up at the building.' He didn't do that. He worked every day and got better every day.
"[Offensive Line] Coach [George] Warhop has done a great job with him. He's a very conscientious young man, and he's playing at a really high level right now. I'm excited for him and for us."
In last year's preseason, Bullock was the Ravens' highest-graded offensive lineman via Pro Football Focus (PFF). The the 6-foot-3, 320-pound blocker followed that up with another strong performance in the Ravens' preseason opener, showing good mobility, strength, and command of the offensive line and his duties.
The fact that Bullock is playing so well at center is particularly impressive because it wasn't his first, or even second, position. He was a stand-up defensive end in high school who didn't start playing on the offensive line until college. He was an offensive tackle at North Carolina Central and Maryland, where he earned honorable mention All-Big Ten and the conference's highest pass-blocking grade (79.6) from PFF as a senior.
Bullock dedicated himself to center this offseason. A couple of weeks after the Ravens' season ended in Buffalo, he rented a place in Arizona and went to work at LB O-Line Performance, a well-known program training offensive linemen and run by former NFL lineman LeCharles Bentley, a two-time Pro Bowl center.
"It was just dialing in and being intentional about center, snap accuracy," Bullock said. "Obviously, some days are going to be tougher than others, but just taking it day by day with him. If I want to stick around, versatility is key."
Bullock said learning from Linderbaum, one of the best centers in the league, also "helps tremendously," and he's earned the Pro Bowler's trust.
"I'm super stoked for Corey. I think he's putting himself in a great position," Linderbaum said on "The Lounge" podcast. "He plays the game the right way. He plays how you want a lineman to play – physical, tough – and he's a smart guy, too. So, if anything happens, I'm totally comfortable with him going in at that position and playing at a high level. He's a guy that just continues to work, continues to get better, and I'm excited for what's upcoming for Corey."
Even though his father, Charlton Bullock, was a massive Steelers fan and his mother, Latasha Charles, was a diehard Reskins/Commanders fan, their son was an unswayable Ravens fan growing up because of Ray Lewis, which made Lewis' visit to training camp this week a cherry-on-top moment in this current dream.
Charles has been to every single one of Bullock's games since youth football, including every Ravens game last year when he wasn't even playing. This summer, she came to practices wearing a custom Bullock No. 67 jersey and kept her eyes locked on her son like a tractor beam. Lamar Jackson could be doing the most spectacular thing on the other side of the field and Charles wouldn't look away.
"Yup, that's my mom," Bullock said with a chuckle. "That's my No. 1 supporter – ride or die right there. She's always there, front row, dialed in on me. She doesn't even care what's going on. She just wants to see her baby doing his thing. So shoutout to my mom for that."
Charles always tells her son she's his biggest cheerleader. Since 2019, when Bullock started his college career, Charles has sent him a message called, "Grit Matters" before every game, even last year when it was tough not suiting up for games while on the practice squad.
"Corey just has always been a great kid from the very beginning, honestly," she said. "He has always been so humble and teachable. He's honest and he's going to work hard. He's just a good person."
There are still eight practices and two preseason games left before the Ravens make their final 53-man cutdown. Bullock will probably work extra after each one of them, just as he's been doing throughout training camp. Even though he's loving life, Bullock has his eyes locked on the prize, just like his mother.
"It's a surreal feeling, to be honest," Bullock said. "But I'm taking it day by day. I don't want to look too far ahead because it's easy to do that. As long as I put my best foot forward just to help the team and help myself, we'll be in pretty good shape."
