Draft prospects are taking over the 2018 NFL Combine, they are showing their strengths and what they are made of. Friday was the Quarterback, Wide Receivers, Tight Ends, and Punters interviews and some of the players did not hold their breath on where they stand amongst the other prospects.
Pro Player Insiders was able to hear from the head honcho himself Baker Mayfield who started his freshman year of college as a walk on at Texas Tech Red Raiders, worked his way up to a scholarship at Oklahoma along with winning the Heisman Trophy during his senior year career. Mayfield started off his interview by saying if anyone is going to turn around the Cleveland Browns franchise it will be him and he will be able to put them in the right direction. Mayfield feels like the Browns have all the right pieces, they just need a quarterback. Mayfield feels like he is the best option in this draft because of his accuracy, he says “I can make any throw, winning is most important, the way I’ve been able to get my guys around me to play not just the offensive players around me, but the defensive guys, special teams, the energy I bring, the passion I bring it’s infectious you can ask anybody on the Oklahoma staff that’s what I bring to the table.” Mayfield also spoke about his character, he said he loves the game, he is up front, honest, he lets people and coaches know exactly what he is about, and he thinks that’s the most important thing. “What you see is what you get, I’ve always been brutally honest and some people don’t like that because it’s rare nowadays.” Mayfield wants to get drafted to a team that knows what their getting, and he plans on playing a major role on the team and not back up.
Pro Player Insiders was also able to speak with Cam Phillips one-on-one who was a late combine selection. Cam Phillips is a Wide Receiver from Virginia Tech a lot of people in the sports world has doubted him but he feels like his opportunity at the Combine can prove that other peoples opinions of him are wrong, he has a lot of talent, a lot of different skills, very versatile. Despite all the underdog speculations about Phillips he is looking forward to the forty the most at the combine, he really wants to prove the rumors wrong, showcasing what he is good at, and running routes.
Another Quarterback who hit the scene at the Combine was Mason Rudolph from Oklahoma State University he finished his last season by winning the Sammy Baugh and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm awards. When asked how is he improving on his accuracy and mechanics when it comes to his passing Rudolph said “I think it’s something you work on daily as a Quarterback, whether its your off season or in season, your always striving to get that 1% every single day, and prove yourself no matter if its on the field and off the field.” Whatever situation Rudolph gets blessed to be apart of he is going to prepare like a starter even if he isn’t starting on day one. Rudolph is just excited for the opportunity that will be presented to him. Rudolph did mention that he wasn’t able to participate in the senior bowl because he wasn’t able to play, but he still went down and put his best foot forward with the interview process, which prepared him for the interviews with the NFL coaches at the combine.
James Washington another Oklahoma State University player at the combine spoke a little bit about his running routes and how he has been able to execute his craft. He said “I’ve been working with my receivers coach right before the Combine, we’ve been working on shaking hips, compressing the body, keeping arms moving in and out of breaks, and that’s something that’s going to help me.” Washington feels like he is the best Wide Receiver at the Combine, he actually thinks every Wide Receiver feels that way about themselves. He went on to say, “We all bring something different to the table.” Washington thinks his aggressiveness stands out more than others. He plays football by being fearless and not caring about what is going to happen when he jumps up to catch the ball. Washington did say he got his jumping skills from basketball.
Mark Andrews a Tight End from Oklahoma told us a couple of strong points about his game. Andrews is very experienced in running routes and receiving, he thinks that, that part of his game is going to be eye catching to the NFL coaches. Andrews is excited to learn and get better on a professional level. When it comes to Andrews meeting with the NFL coaches, he will probably meet with 14 teams, he is excited to meet with them, he has already did a lot of informal meetings and feel likes this process is awesome.
Another Tight End who took the podium was Dallas Goedert from South Dakota State. Goedert was really positive when speaking about teams he has already met with, naming one in particular the Miami Dolphins. He said “I really like them” but he also likes the other 32 great organizations in the NFL and he would be honored to go to any of them. The Miami Dolphins was a great interview for him and he really likes their coaching staff as well. If a NFL team was to draft Goedert today they will be getting a playmaker, a tough guy that is hard working, who’s going to make the plays, he is going to be the guy the Quarterback goes too. Teams need to know that Goedert does not mind moving to a big city.
Photographer: Michael Johnson
