Although deemed a first-round talent by most analysts, many teams were scared off by Kindle's often-injured knee and his off-the-field incidents.
Kindle fell into the second round and was ultimately drafted 43rd overall by the Baltimore Ravens, using one of the three picks the Ravens acquired by trading their first-round pick (25th overall) to the Denver Broncos (who selected Tim Tebow).
Kindle said in a press conference shortly after the draft he was targeting the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2010.
However, after the Ravens' minicamp, Kindle acknowledged: "When I said that, it was just an exciting moment for me, getting drafted.
My head was in the clouds."

On July 25, Kindle fell down two flights of stairs at a home in Austin, Texas.
He was sent to the hospital in stable condition but was described as suffering head trauma.
It was later determined he fractured his skull in the fall.
As a result, Kindle was unable to attend the Ravens' training camp at McDaniel College.

On September 23, 2010, Kindle signed a one-year contract for $320,000, the rookie minimum, and was immediately placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list.
Because Kindle did not sign until Week 3 of the 2010 season, Kindle received a prorated salary of $282,000.
The contract included no signing bonus (by comparison, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, the player drafted just before Kindle, received a signing bonus of $1.76 million).
Although deemed a first-round talent by most analysts, many teams were scared off by Kindle's often-injured knee and his off-the-field incidents. Kindle fell into the second round and was ultimately drafted 43rd overall by the Baltimore Ravens, using one of the three picks the Ravens acquired by trading their first-round pick (25th overall) to the Denver Broncos (who selected Tim Tebow). Kindle said in a press conference shortly after the draft he was targeting the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2010. However, after the Ravens' minicamp, Kindle acknowledged: "When I said that, it was just an exciting moment for me, getting drafted. My head was in the clouds."
On July 25, Kindle fell down two flights of stairs at a home in Austin, Texas. He was sent to the hospital in stable condition but was described as suffering head trauma. It was later determined he fractured his skull in the fall. As a result, Kindle was unable to attend the Ravens' training camp at McDaniel College.
On September 23, 2010, Kindle signed a one-year contract for $320,000, the rookie minimum, and was immediately placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list. Because Kindle did not sign until Week 3 of the 2010 season, Kindle received a prorated salary of $282,000. The contract included no signing bonus (by comparison, New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, the player drafted just before Kindle, received a signing bonus of $1.76 million).
Sergio Kindle