Baltimore Ravens safety Matt Elam has revealed that he expected a lot more from himself during his debut season in the NFL.

Despite becoming a regular starter and managing 77 tackles throughout the season, Elam thought that he fell short of expectations as the Ravens missed out on a playoff spot after winning the Super Bowl the previous year.

"I don't think I played good at all," Elam told the club's official website. "I have very high expectations for myself, and of the goals and expectations that I set for myself this year, I probably met three out of 10 of my goals. I feel like I let myself down this season.

"I put a lot of pressure on myself because I'm a very hard critic. I feel like I had to come here and I had a lot to prove because they chose me first and they were expecting big things from me. I put a lot of pressure on myself.

"You want to come in and do that job and do what they expect you to do."

Elam was the 32nd overall pick in last year's Draft.