The havoc that defensive end Kamalei Correa regularly wrought behind the line of scrimmage these past two seasons stamped him as a remarkable football player.

But the play that really opened eyes wide to his vast possibilities was, of all things, an opponent’s 51-yard gain.

When Utah State running back LaJuan Hunt hauled in a pass and bolted down Merlin Olsen Field last October he was perhaps the most stunned of the 22,000-plus on hand as Correa cut across the field and ran him down from behind.

That play — and the talents it underlined — sum up why representatives of all 32 NFL teams were on hand in Boise on Thursday to watch Correa as the featured performer in the Broncos’ Pro Day.

The Saint Louis School graduate is one of the more intriguing figures in this month’s NFL Draft, a junior who came out early and will face a change of position, but whose considerable upside makes him a first-round possibility when selection begins April 28 in Chicago.

If he goes in the first round — and Pittsburgh (25th pick), Seattle (26) and Arizona (29) are among the possibilities — Correa and Oregon’s DeForest Buckner, a projected top-10 pick, would mark the first time that Hawaii high schools have produced two first-rounders in the same draft.

“I love the way he plays — he’s aggressive, he’s physical and he’s got some twitch to him,” said ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay in a media conference call.

Added another analyst, Mel Kiper Jr., “He’s got an attitude and an aggressiveness that you love in a good football player.”

For all that, at 6 feet, 3 inches and 242 pounds, Correa was deemed undersized to be a full-time, 30-plus-plays-a-game defensive end in the NFL. But his speed has made a case for him as an ideal fit as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment.

His 4.69 time in the 40-yard dash — third fastest among defensive linemen at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis — and agility in Thursday’s Pro Day have only served to reinforce Correa’s suitability for the role.

“I think he fits perfectly when you start to look at 3-4 (scheme) outside linebackers, where he can get up the field and rush,” McShay said. “But he’s also got it in his arsenal to drop into coverage and, also, play the run. Physically, I think he has all the tools to be a good starter in the league.”

Despite 12 sacks and 19 tackles for loss as a sophomore in 2014, Correa was somewhat overlooked in the 2015 season because of his size and initial projection as a defensive end. But the Utah State play and other snippets have better showcased his potential.

“People keep pointing back to that play,” said Boise State spokesman Joe Nickell. “Essentially the minute Kamalei did that, everybody said, ‘Well, that’s (genuine) NFL speed right there.’”

Kiper says, “Kamalei is a player who, when you watched him again and again, can put his hands down (on the line), can play in space and can be an inside linebacker down the road. When he pins his ears back and (comes), he’s a tough guy to deal with coming off the edge.”

And down the field.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.