Patriots Second-Round Pick Ras-I Dowling Opens Up About Chip on His Shoulder

FOXBORO, Mass. — The Patriots’ newest cornerback, second-round pick Ras-I Dowling, comes across as an extremely humble, well-spoken, polite kid who just wants to do the right thing on and off the field.

He’s quiet, very involved in his faith and respectful in conversation. But he showed a little extra passion after one question Saturday morning.

Dowling had a string of bad luck last year when he suffered a handful of injuries that hurt his draft stock. Almost universally, he was considered a first-round pick before playing in just five games as a senior at Virginia. As a result, he fell out of the opening round and was taken with the first pick on the second day.

Now, does he want to prove everyone wrong? You bet he does.

“I think everybody wants to have a chip on their shoulder that plays the game,” Dowling said. “You want to be the best that you can be, so every day you try to get better.”