WACO, Tex.—During his four years at Baylor University, Robert Griffin III not only lifted Baylor to new heights en route to his Heisman Trophy but became the face of the university and its chief ambassador. After setting or tying 54 school records in 41 career games played, the man known as “RG” in Texas looks primed to be the second pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. In his press conference following Wednesday’s Pro Day, Griffin assesses his Pro Day performance, talks about Andrew Luck and explains why he relishes the spotlight.
On evaluating his performance out on the field for Baylor’s Pro Day …
“I thought it went great. I had a few misses, but other than that, I think the stat was 78 out of 84. That’s pretty good. The guys came out and worked really hard, so that’s all you can ask for.”
On what Pro Day felt like for him …
“We had a lot of fun. That’s what it is supposed to be like. It’s not supposed to be stressful. They got all of their testing out of the way, and then it was time to go out there and be a football player. That’s what we try to do, lighten the mood and have guys smile. If you drop a pass here and there, you can move on to the next one. We never missed two in a row, so that was good.”
On the development of his footwork …
“You just have to match your feet to the kind of throw that you are going to make, so if you are throwing a bench route to the right, you’re going to take a seven-step drop. So those types of things, but you can never stop working on your feet because no one can have perfect feet. You can have really good feet, but never perfect, so that is what we worked on the whole time.”
On his dinner Tuesday night with the Redskins …
“Dinner was great. I had a delicious filet. From them, they just want to get to know who you are. If they have a shot to pick you in the draft, they want to know that you’re a good person. I also got to meet everyone along with my parents and fiancé.”
On what it was like to take part in this Pro Day being quite the spectacle …
“They said it was the biggest Pro Day at Baylor of all-time, so it was pretty exciting. It seems like a few weeks ago I was just a freshman at 198 lbs., and now I’m at my Pro Day getting ready to enter the NFL. So this whole moment has been surreal. Other than that, I’ve tried to not be nervous. I used the bathroom before I threw, so I got that out of me and was ready to go.”
On the media creating a rivalry against Andrew Luck …
“No matter how much the media tries to paint us against each other, I’ll always cheer for him and be there for him. I met him at the Heisman and the College Football Awards in Florida, so he’s a good guy. I know he’ll go out there [Thursday] and dazzle you guys just like we hope we did today.”
On his excitement for teammate Kendall Wright’s performance today …
“I knew Kendall (Wright) could run a 4.4/4.3 (40-yard dash) if he had to. I think that he just had a bad day at the Combine. He caught the ball well today and had a one-hand snag that got everyone excited. I know how Kendall is, and I personally want him to get drafted as high as possible. But if people say they don’t want him in the first or second rounds, I’m sure the team I’ll be on would love [to] take him in the third.”
On his dreams of one day playing in the NFL almost coming true …
“I think I will start getting those realizations in the next couple of weeks because there is no Combine or Pro Day to prepare for. There’s really no more workouts that I have to do. So I think everything will start to sink in then. I still don’t think that it has sunk in that I won the Heisman. So I’ll be able to look back on the season and appreciate those types of things. Even though growing up I wanted to be like Mike (Michael Jordan), I get to go out and be in the NFL. If you’re a professional athlete in any sport it’s an honor. I’m pretty sure there will be tears having to leave Baylor and join another organization, but it’s been a lot of fun and I wouldn’t take it back.”
On using his experience of turning around Baylor’s football program and applying it to the team that drafts him …
“They talk a lot about the pressure to succeed, and it’s always that way. When I got here, the fans expected us to win. We had two seasons that weren’t conducive to doing that, but we turned it around, and I was proud of that. So when I move on to the next level, we’ll obviously have to do it a lot faster, but as they say, “pressure busts pipes.” Not for me. I feel like I play better when the pressure is on. I’ll take it with open arms; I won’t push it away. I like that pressure because I believe in myself.”
By Khalil Garriott
