I wanted to give you a link post pointing to some interviews and videos. I'll include some players that have been linked to the Hawks and may still be around at #25.
-Here is an interview with Illinois DT Corey Liuget on 101ESPN. Most importantly, you learn how to say his name. It's an interesting interview and he explains Illinois' defensive line philosophy.
-Here is an interview by Chris Steuber with Ryan Mallett that was conducted during the offseason last year - and just gives you a good snapshot of who Mallett was before the hype machine had really started up in earnest.
Fresh off his public intoxication charge, here's what he had to say about it:
CS: The injuries that occurred were out of your hands, but an incident that happened prior to the 2009 season was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. What did you learn from being arrested for public intoxication, an incident that took place before you even took an official snap at Arkansas?
Mallett: It's really helped me mature; it was a blessing in disguise. I learned that people are watching me at all times. I really didn't understand that at the time. From that incident until now, I feel like I've matured greatly as a person. I know that I made a mistake. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And, I was doing the wrong things. It made me learn that you can't do those things and be a great football player.
CS: What did Coach Petrino say to you after the incident?
Mallett: We had a meeting and he said you can't do those things. He told me that this is the University of Arkansas, and it's the main university in the state; you're in a fish bowl and you're always being looked at. He was disappointed in me; I was disappointed in myself. I paid the price with a punishment and I did everything I was asked to do. We just moved on from it.
CS: Being new to the program, how did your teammates react to the situation, and was anyone skeptical about you as a person or a leader?
Mallett: I don't think anyone was skeptical about me. I'm a fun loving guy and they know I messed up. Everybody has messed up at some point, and I don't think I lost any respect. They know I wasn't doing the right things, but they also know that I'm not a bad kid. If you get to know me, you will understand that. I like to have fun, and I like to be around the guys. I talked to a couple of the seniors, and they said you can't do that stuff, and I told them that I understand and that I messed up. Again, we moved on and looked forward to the next day.
Again - I'm not worried about this.
Here's Mallett's combine interview that so many people lambasted him over - I saw this from probably twenty different sources - "Mallett's draft stock crumbles," "Mallett's Combine Drama!," "Ryan Mallett Bombs in Interviews" "Ryan Mallett's press conference - Ouch" etc and so forth. Even the title of this youtube clip is misleading - "Ryan Mallett's less than stellar media session": He is asked about his drug rumors about 10 times over 6 minutes, and he calmly answers that he's not going to talk about it and there's nothing he can do about it each time. At the end, he's asked again, and responds that he's not going to talk about it. The guy asks him "Why not?" and he responds "Because I don't want to, we're not going to talk about it, I'll talk about it with the teams." and then says "Thanks guys, appreciate it" and walks off stage. OH MY GOD HE STORMED OFF THE PODIUM HE'S A TOTAL LOOSE CANNON. I WOULD NEVER DRAFT HIM, HE'S OUT OF CONTROL!! Watch it for yourself.
-On a similar note, here's an interview with Jimmy Smith at the combine - one in which he caught a lot of flack over for saying he has better ball skills than Nnamdi Asomugha - note he's laughing while saying that but people were rubbed the wrong way about this - I don't think it matters, I want a player to be cocky - all great NFL players are exactly the same way, they just may not announce it:
- Here's an interview/article with Muhammad Wilkerson that you should check out.
"Different teams like me for different things," said Wilkerson, who ended his three-year career at Temple with 9½ sacks in 2010. "They like that I can get after the quarterback. I can stop the run and I can run down and make plays and be an athlete."
- Here's a good interview with Rodney Hudson, the guard out of Florida State, and another good piece on how he plays with a "nasty streak."
He's a two-time winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, recognized as the top offensive lineman in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The first-team consensus All-American was a three-time first-team all-conference selection.
"He's one of the best I've ever coached," Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said.
And Hudson graded out at 87 percent last season with 44 knockdown blocks and was flagged for just one penalty in 832 snaps last season. Rated as the third guard on the National Football Post draft board, Hudson could also project to center at the next level. Hudson is regarded as a hard-nosed lineman who plays with intensity.
"I have knowledge of the game and a willingness to learn," Hudson said. "I use good technique to do my job. I definitely have a nasty streak. I go into a different mode on the field."