Charles Omenihu had a great day at the combine on Sunday, running a 4.92 40-yard dash at nearly 6'6" and 280 pounds and sporting a pterodactyl-like 36" arm measurement and 85 1/2" wingspan. While he didn't participate in the bench press, his other explosive measurables such as the vertical (36 1/2") were good — for the vertical, putting him in the 91st percentile at the DL position historically. Here is a transcript from his availability with the national media on Saturday afternoon:
WHAT CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE VALUE OF COMING BACK WHEN FOLKS SAID YOU COULD HAVE COME OUT LAST SEASON?
"It's helped me a lot. It's been tremendous for me. Definitely went back and showed my ability in a vast, variety of ways, different positions, and then upgrade on my production at Texas. So, I definitely think it helped me, especially in this D-line class, which has a lot of great players, but I feel like I'm one of the best defensive linemen in this class and I've shown that on film. And I've shown that at the Senior Bowl and that's what I want to show on Sunday."
HOW DO YOU KEEP ATTACKING EACH DAY AND NOT SETTLE FOR THE GOOD THINGS PEOPLE SAY ABOUT YOU?
"I'm probably behind somebody on somebody's board. So, I know I'm not the No. 1 rated edge defender in this draft class. So, I know I'm striving to continue to climb the boards and climb up and make my way up hopefully into being a round one pick if that's something that I can achieve. So, I know I'm behind somebody and I'm chasing something new every day, every week, and every time I come into a stage like this, my chance to show and continue to help my stock rise."
WITH YOUR BODY AND SKILL SET, YOU FIT A LOT OF SCHEMES. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU CAN FIT IN?
"I think I can use my versatility to my advantage. So, I think I can be in a multiple front defense. I think I can play on the edge and I think I can also rush from a three-technique as well. But it's really whatever a team wants me to do. If it's rush inside or play inside or play a little bit more on the edge, that's what I'm going to do. I've got to do whatever I can to make an impact as a rookie and continue to build my repertoire and how people view me in the league. So, I'm down for whatever a team needs me to do to be successful."
HOW DO YOU CHANGE UP YOUR PLAN OF ATTACK WHEN YOU'RE INSIDE?
"I know when you're inside things happen a little bit quicker. So, my pass rush moves have to be a little bit more precise and on point, and on the edge I'm able to use my speed to kind of scare a guy a little bit longer than you can on the inside. Because, like I said, on the inside things happen a little bit quicker. But on the on the outside I'm able to use my speed to my advantage and then my length to create separation from then on. I can do whatever I want to do."
WHEN DID YOU MEET WITH THE PATRIOTS?
"At the Senior Bowl."
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM POONA AND HOW HE WAS ON NO ONE'S RADAR LAST SEASON?
"I talked to Poona before the Senior Bowl and talked to him about how the Senior Bowl is and what should I expect. He definitely helped me out with that. As far as getting ready for the draft, I talked to DeShon and Malik. Those are my boys that I went through this process and left early. So, I really talked to them and guys in the league that have been in the league for a while, Cameron Jordan. I talked to him two days ago. Charles Harris I've talked to throughout this whole process. So, I mean, Shaq Lawson, I've talked to him a lot about this process and things like that. So, those are the guys that I became close with and asked them to help me with what I may get into here."
WHO HAVE YOU MET WITH FOR YOUR FORMALS?
"I would say I had a formal meeting with the Tennessee Titans. I had one with the Dolphins, Chiefs, Lions, 49ers, and Vikings."
HAVE YOU MET WITH THE COWBOYS?
"I did meet with the Cowboys at the Senior Bowl and here but not formal."
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST THING YOU DID TO ELEVATE YOUR GAME IN 2018?
"I think it was just getting understanding how much film is important and to be a step ahead of guys. And then just going into this offseason saying I'm going to improve my body in these aspects and help me perform on the field so that with my legs and explosiveness, that shows in my film in my get-off and things like that that those are things I've had to prove in order to be a step ahead of guys and also just to be able to use my body in a way that's pretty hard to stop at the offensive line."
DO YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE?
"I don't. Wherever a team wants me to play, wherever they see me fit, wherever I can make an impact immediatley on a team is where I want to be at."
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE MOVE?
"Stab-club."
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO GO FROM KANSAS BEATING YOU IN 2016 AND THEN WINNING THE SUGAR BOWL VERSUS GEORGIA THIS SEASON?
"It's funny that you bring the Lawrence, Kansas up but that was one of the lowest points I've been at. I'm a guy I don't like losing. I hate losing. That's one thing I cannot stand. So, I had to understand how to handle losing. So, it's something I wasn't used to. And then two years later and we're Sugar Bowl champions. So, that was an incredible feeling and one that I will never forget, glad that I was able to do that with that 2015 class. Hopefully it takes it on the springboard to be in the national championship conversation the next couple of years."
WHAT'S THE CONTRAST BETWEEN CHARLIE STRONG AND TOM HERMAN?
"I mean, Coach Strong, he put the building blocks for what Texas is now. I think Coach Herman put his own touch and layer on it, and then I wouldn't say a finished product, but a pretty good product that came out against Georgia in this past season to open some eyes. First 10-win season in a long time, beating the team that was supposed to be in the playoffs. So, those were things that Coach Herman definitely done, and great job to them and their staff and I appreciate them because without that staff I wouldn't have been able to feel how it feels to be in a big time game like that and to perform on a stage that I really wanted to perform on."
DO YOU THINK THIS 2019 CLASS CAN HAVE THE FIRST TEXAS 1ST ROUND PICK SINCE MALCOM BROWN?
"Yeah, no, just with our class there are five guys here. Really good players, and then with the guys that are at Texas now, there's going to be a first round pick at Texas in the next two years or next year maybe. It's building back. It's definitely getting back to where it used to be, and that's the way it needs to be. When you go to Texas, you go to Texas to win big games and then be drafted as high as possible. So, that's definitely where Texas is going and I think Coach Herman is recruiting the guys and they're going to win to where that is a reality every year."
HAVE YOU MET WITH THE COLTS?
"Yes. I met with them formally at the Senior Bowl. I met with them informally here."
WHAT ABOUT THE GIANTS AND THE JETS?
"I've met with the Jets' whole front staff, front office at the Senior Bowl. I haven't met with them here. You said the Giants? No, not really. I didn't meet with the Giants."
DO YOU THINK THE HIGHS AND LOWS IN AUSTIN MAKES YOU DIFFERENT FROM THE GUYS HERE?
"Yeah, I definitely understand how it feels like to be at the bottom, and then I know how it feels like to be at the cusp of greatness. So, definitely know how to handle different situations. So, I could be a step ahead. I don't know what the background of some guys is with their schools, but I know for sure for me I'm able to handle the lowest lows and the highest highs."
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE TOUGHEST OFFENSIVE LINEMEN YOU FACED IN THE BIG 12?
"Dalton Risner and then Cody Ford. He was pretty good. Those two probably stood out the most to me."
WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE HARDEST ADJUSTMENT FROM COLLEGE TO THE NFL?
"Understanding that I just won't be able to out-length or out-athlete some of these offensive linemen. I know there are some offensive linemen in the league who probably have 36-plus arms. So, I won't be able to just keep guys at bay. So, my technique and hand placement in both the run game and the pass game is going to have to be exceptional to be at the continued level of play that I was doing my senior year and continue just to rise."
WHAT ARE SOME TEAMS YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WOULD FIT REALLY WELL THERE?
"I think with the teams I met and the teams I'm going to meet today, I definitely had a good feeling with the Ravens. Houston Texans. Minnesota Vikings. The Lions. Dolphins. The Chiefs. Teams like that. Teams that run multiple fronts that can put me in and out. Those are the teams I feel like are coming at me the hardest. But, again, to me it doesn't really matter. It's a cliche saying, but it's true. I just want an opportunity to be able to be an impact rookie for a team and help win or start winning culture with whatever organization decides to bless me with the opportunity to play in the National Football League."
DID THOSE TEAMS TALK TO YOU ABOUT HOW THEY WOULD USE YOU?
"I'd be playing in and out, rushing the quarterback from either on the edge or from a wide three-technique. Those are things that definitely came up and being defensive end, but like I said, being able to move back or forth either way.
HOW WOULD YOUR VIEW CHANGE GOING FROM STAND-UP TO THREE-POINT?
"I don't think I've had a lot of teams talk to me about — well, no, I have, but being in a two-point stance as some teams have. It gives you a wider vision. It gives you the opportunity to show that you can drop. So, I've definitely had teams talk to me about that, and I've definitely had teams that just say, hey, we want to have you on the defensive end sometimes rushing out wide and we're going to have you come in and rush from a three-technique. I'm used to that and I'm also used to dropping. I've dropped my freshman year and my sophomore year. So, I'm used to all three phases of how a team is willing to use me. And I like that. I like for teams to see that versatility and give me value, give me more range than maybe some of the other guys in this draft class. So, by my viewpoint, probably from inside out, I know when I'm inside things are going to happen a little bit quicker than it is on the outside."
WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO MOVE?
"Stab. I like to use my length. I think I have irregular length, elite length, so I want to use that against people."
WHAT ARE SOME COUNTERS YOU USE OFF OF THAT?
"One guy will reset me because, when you watch my tape, my get-off is going to jump out. So, guys will get a jump try to not get beat by me on the corner, they stop them, where they want to go, and then come under."
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE CHIEFS SATURDAY?
"I mean, they're probably going to put some film on me, some good, some bad, and see how I take it, but I don't think there's a perfect player out here that guys — everyone of us has bad tape at some point in the game. So, it's just how you handle it, how you come across as a coach and that's it."
HAVE YOU MET WITH THE BUCCANEERS YET?
"Yeah, but not formally."
WHO ARE SOME NAMES THAT YOU NOW FROM TEXAS ARE GOING TO BE PLUG AND PLAY IN 2019?
"Caden Sterns has already had a jump. That's probably one of the guys I think is going to be a first round pick soon. Ta'Quon Graham is going to be a plug and play. Gerald Wilbon. Malcolm Roach is going to be a leader on that defensive line, and then Joseph Assai, No. 46, is going to be a baller. Young kid, but he is going to be a baller. We've got some freshmen coming in. Anthony Cook at corner, Jaylon Green at corner. So, B.J. Foster. So, they've got guys, just young. But youth doesn't make you a bad player. It's football, it's football. It doesn't matter if you play for 10 years or five years. It doesn't matter."
HOW DO YOU COME INTO AN NFL LOCKER ROOM AND YOU'RE THE NEWEST FACE BUT YOU THINK YOU'RE AS GOOD AS ANYBODY ELSE?
"Yeah. Because that's why the organization drafted me. Ain't going to draft you and spend a pick of value if they don't think that you can beat out somebody there or help the organization. So, to me, football has been the same since it was created. So, just different, guys are bigger, stronger, faster, and I think I don't think I'd be able to fit that mold, I wouldn't be here. So, it's just, again, coming into new territory, you've just got to understand, see where you fit, make your impact and you go from there."
WHAT'S THE BIGGEST THING YOU TOOK FROM THE RAIDERS STAFF AT THE SENIOR BOWL?
"The D-line coach, he's cool. I liked his energy. And then I took the NFL it's ball, get off, get to the quarterback, and get that run if it comes. But they want to affect that quarterback, they want to get off the ball, they want guys who are going to strike you and be physical. So, that's definitely what I took and Coach Gruden has great energy. I really liked Coach Gruden. So, yeah, it was a good experience."
HOW DID THE EXPERIENCE WITH THE TITANS GO?
"It was good. Their outside linebackers coach I really liked him. He coached Orakpo and that's big bro, so I kind of had that idea of how he is and just going over where he would put me in different spots and understanding what they do, seeing the knowledge that I have in football and it was a good meeting."
WERE THERE ANY PLAYERS COMING UP YOU WANTED TO EMULATE?
"So there were three guys that I kind of like watch and try to take things from: Joey Bosa, Aaron
Donald, and Chandler Jones are three guys that I watch a lot to understand just what makes them so good. I take pieces from their game and put it, incorporate it into my game."
WHAT DID YOU TAKE FROM AARON DONALD?
"Aaron Donald's move at 3-tech, use your step, cross step, club. I've done that move inside and it's a move that, I mean, it works. He's getting guys in the league. I can do that in college and get guys and just perfect it. So, it works. It definitely works. And with Bosa his hand swipe and the physicality and his motor and his stab move as well. Same thing with Chandler Jones. Those are things I took from them. I want to incorporate that and try that, because if they're doing it and working, that means there's got to be something it. So, I may as well try it and perfect it myself."
IN THESE MEETINGS, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SHOW TEAMS AS FAR AS YOUR PERSONALITY?
"That I'm open to playing any position, that I'm a team guy. I'm very versatile and that I'm an asset that is not common because you want to find something that separates yourself. So, I speak on my length. I speak on my get-off. I speak on my versatility. I speak on my frame and being athletic and being able to move and play different positions, because that's something that's not as common. So, that's what I want to bring to the table to a defensive line coach and to an organization and to an owner. Hey, man, I think I'm very valuable. You can use me in different
places. I have things that most guys don't and that you wouldn't be wasting your investment if you invested in me with a high pick."
WHAT WOULD BE THE ONE GAME FILM YOU WOULD SUBMIT?
"Kansas State, this year. I was playing inside out. I was rushing on the edge. I played four. I played the three. I played the six. I played the nine. I was physical. I played well versus the run. Played well in pass rush and my energy. So, I think those aspects showed and that was, if I had to pick a game, that would be one."
WHAT WOULD YOUR WORST GAME BE?
"Probably Texas Tech, and just because the conditioning part. No excuse. Texas Tech is a pass-option, but I had to know that coming into the game that my conditioning is going to be a big thing. So, that's something that I have to, when somebody puts that on tape and they're like, 'Why is this happening?' I've got to be man enough to say, 'Yeah, this is what it is and this is why. But this is how I plan on fixing it.' And that's it."
WHAT IMPRESSED YOU ABOUT KYLER MURRAY'S ABILITY TO AVOID GETTING HIT AFTER HE GOT RID OF THE BALL?
"Kyler's smart. He knows that, as a defensive lineman, I'm trying to smash him. Period. And he's smaller, so you feel like the more times you hit him, the more you're going to affect him. So, he's very smart. The guy is an athletic freak. Great quarterback. Great player. I respect his game 100 percent and he understands — he understands his limitations if you can say, and he understands that, hey, I need to do this or this is going to happen and it's not a good result for my team."
WHAT DOES HE DO TO AVOID CLEAN-UP SHOTS?
"He ducks and turns away or if he throws the ball he will get down real fast. Yeah, I mean, you see it. You know it. You're in the stands. So, when I played against him and sacked him twice in the two times we played them, I went low. I went for his legs because if you take a man's legs he can't walk or run."
WHAT KIND OF PUNISHMENT WOULD YOU HAVE GIVEN KYLER MURRAY IF HE WASN'T THAT SMART?
"The punishment I gave the Kansas State quarterback."
WHAT ABOUT KYLER MURRAY MAKES YOU THINK HE CAN ADAPT TO THE NFL?
"Because he has smarts. He understands how people view him. He understands how defensive players think. So, he knows what he has to do in order to survive, and he's athletically gifted. The man can throw. He can run. He's it. That's somebody that I have — I have said it before that's the best player I played against. So, he understands. So, I think he'll be able to adjust. He'll be good."
IS HE THE BEST QUARTERBACK IN THE DRAFT?
"I ain't going to say that. I'm not a quarterback guru. I just know from the quarterback I played at UT that's the — Jared Goff is probably him and Jared Goff are right there and Mahomes. But he's one of the best players I've ever played against."
SPEAKING OF MAHOMES, WAS IT EVIDENT THAT HE WAS UNDER THE RADAR AT TEXAS TECH?
"I knew that he was going to be a really good passer. I knew that he had a really good deep ball. I didn't know that he was going to be MVP caliber. I didn't know that, but nobody knew that. You don't know who is going to be MVP. But I definitely knew he had really good arm talent, and he's shown it."
WHAT CAN YOU SPEAK TO THE VALUE OF COMING BACK WHEN FOLKS SAID YOU COULD HAVE COME OUT LAST SEASON?
"It's helped me a lot. It's been tremendous for me. Definitely went back and showed my ability in a vast, variety of ways, different positions, and then upgrade on my production at Texas. So, I definitely think it helped me, especially in this D-line class, which has a lot of great players, but I feel like I'm one of the best defensive linemen in this class and I've shown that on film. And I've shown that at the Senior Bowl and that's what I want to show on Sunday."
HOW DO YOU KEEP ATTACKING EACH DAY AND NOT SETTLE FOR THE GOOD THINGS PEOPLE SAY ABOUT YOU?
"I'm probably behind somebody on somebody's board. So, I know I'm not the No. 1 rated edge defender in this draft class. So, I know I'm striving to continue to climb the boards and climb up and make my way up hopefully into being a round one pick if that's something that I can achieve. So, I know I'm behind somebody and I'm chasing something new every day, every week, and every time I come into a stage like this, my chance to show and continue to help my stock rise."
WITH YOUR BODY AND SKILL SET, YOU FIT A LOT OF SCHEMES. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU CAN FIT IN?
"I think I can use my versatility to my advantage. So, I think I can be in a multiple front defense. I think I can play on the edge and I think I can also rush from a three-technique as well. But it's really whatever a team wants me to do. If it's rush inside or play inside or play a little bit more on the edge, that's what I'm going to do. I've got to do whatever I can to make an impact as a rookie and continue to build my repertoire and how people view me in the league. So, I'm down for whatever a team needs me to do to be successful."
HOW DO YOU CHANGE UP YOUR PLAN OF ATTACK WHEN YOU'RE INSIDE?
"I know when you're inside things happen a little bit quicker. So, my pass rush moves have to be a little bit more precise and on point, and on the edge I'm able to use my speed to kind of scare a guy a little bit longer than you can on the inside. Because, like I said, on the inside things happen a little bit quicker. But on the on the outside I'm able to use my speed to my advantage and then my length to create separation from then on. I can do whatever I want to do."
WHEN DID YOU MEET WITH THE PATRIOTS?
"At the Senior Bowl."
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM POONA AND HOW HE WAS ON NO ONE'S RADAR LAST SEASON?
"I talked to Poona before the Senior Bowl and talked to him about how the Senior Bowl is and what should I expect. He definitely helped me out with that. As far as getting ready for the draft, I talked to DeShon and Malik. Those are my boys that I went through this process and left early. So, I really talked to them and guys in the league that have been in the league for a while, Cameron Jordan. I talked to him two days ago. Charles Harris I've talked to throughout this whole process. So, I mean, Shaq Lawson, I've talked to him a lot about this process and things like that. So, those are the guys that I became close with and asked them to help me with what I may get into here."
WHO HAVE YOU MET WITH FOR YOUR FORMALS?
"I would say I had a formal meeting with the Tennessee Titans. I had one with the Dolphins, Chiefs, Lions, 49ers, and Vikings."
HAVE YOU MET WITH THE COWBOYS?
"I did meet with the Cowboys at the Senior Bowl and here but not formal."
WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST THING YOU DID TO ELEVATE YOUR GAME IN 2018?
"I think it was just getting understanding how much film is important and to be a step ahead of guys. And then just going into this offseason saying I'm going to improve my body in these aspects and help me perform on the field so that with my legs and explosiveness, that shows in my film in my get-off and things like that that those are things I've had to prove in order to be a step ahead of guys and also just to be able to use my body in a way that's pretty hard to stop at the offensive line."
DO YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE?
"I don't. Wherever a team wants me to play, wherever they see me fit, wherever I can make an impact immediatley on a team is where I want to be at."
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE MOVE?
"Stab-club."
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO GO FROM KANSAS BEATING YOU IN 2016 AND THEN WINNING THE SUGAR BOWL VERSUS GEORGIA THIS SEASON?
"It's funny that you bring the Lawrence, Kansas up but that was one of the lowest points I've been at. I'm a guy I don't like losing. I hate losing. That's one thing I cannot stand. So, I had to understand how to handle losing. So, it's something I wasn't used to. And then two years later and we're Sugar Bowl champions. So, that was an incredible feeling and one that I will never forget, glad that I was able to do that with that 2015 class. Hopefully it takes it on the springboard to be in the national championship conversation the next couple of years."
WHAT'S THE CONTRAST BETWEEN CHARLIE STRONG AND TOM HERMAN?
"I mean, Coach Strong, he put the building blocks for what Texas is now. I think Coach Herman put his own touch and layer on it, and then I wouldn't say a finished product, but a pretty good product that came out against Georgia in this past season to open some eyes. First 10-win season in a long time, beating the team that was supposed to be in the playoffs. So, those were things that Coach Herman definitely done, and great job to them and their staff and I appreciate them because without that staff I wouldn't have been able to feel how it feels to be in a big time game like that and to perform on a stage that I really wanted to perform on."
DO YOU THINK THIS 2019 CLASS CAN HAVE THE FIRST TEXAS 1ST ROUND PICK SINCE MALCOM BROWN?
"Yeah, no, just with our class there are five guys here. Really good players, and then with the guys that are at Texas now, there's going to be a first round pick at Texas in the next two years or next year maybe. It's building back. It's definitely getting back to where it used to be, and that's the way it needs to be. When you go to Texas, you go to Texas to win big games and then be drafted as high as possible. So, that's definitely where Texas is going and I think Coach Herman is recruiting the guys and they're going to win to where that is a reality every year."
HAVE YOU MET WITH THE COLTS?
"Yes. I met with them formally at the Senior Bowl. I met with them informally here."
WHAT ABOUT THE GIANTS AND THE JETS?
"I've met with the Jets' whole front staff, front office at the Senior Bowl. I haven't met with them here. You said the Giants? No, not really. I didn't meet with the Giants."
DO YOU THINK THE HIGHS AND LOWS IN AUSTIN MAKES YOU DIFFERENT FROM THE GUYS HERE?
"Yeah, I definitely understand how it feels like to be at the bottom, and then I know how it feels like to be at the cusp of greatness. So, definitely know how to handle different situations. So, I could be a step ahead. I don't know what the background of some guys is with their schools, but I know for sure for me I'm able to handle the lowest lows and the highest highs."
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE TOUGHEST OFFENSIVE LINEMEN YOU FACED IN THE BIG 12?
"Dalton Risner and then Cody Ford. He was pretty good. Those two probably stood out the most to me."
WHAT IS GOING TO BE THE HARDEST ADJUSTMENT FROM COLLEGE TO THE NFL?
"Understanding that I just won't be able to out-length or out-athlete some of these offensive linemen. I know there are some offensive linemen in the league who probably have 36-plus arms. So, I won't be able to just keep guys at bay. So, my technique and hand placement in both the run game and the pass game is going to have to be exceptional to be at the continued level of play that I was doing my senior year and continue just to rise."
WHAT ARE SOME TEAMS YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WOULD FIT REALLY WELL THERE?
"I think with the teams I met and the teams I'm going to meet today, I definitely had a good feeling with the Ravens. Houston Texans. Minnesota Vikings. The Lions. Dolphins. The Chiefs. Teams like that. Teams that run multiple fronts that can put me in and out. Those are the teams I feel like are coming at me the hardest. But, again, to me it doesn't really matter. It's a cliche saying, but it's true. I just want an opportunity to be able to be an impact rookie for a team and help win or start winning culture with whatever organization decides to bless me with the opportunity to play in the National Football League."
DID THOSE TEAMS TALK TO YOU ABOUT HOW THEY WOULD USE YOU?
"I'd be playing in and out, rushing the quarterback from either on the edge or from a wide three-technique. Those are things that definitely came up and being defensive end, but like I said, being able to move back or forth either way.
HOW WOULD YOUR VIEW CHANGE GOING FROM STAND-UP TO THREE-POINT?
"I don't think I've had a lot of teams talk to me about — well, no, I have, but being in a two-point stance as some teams have. It gives you a wider vision. It gives you the opportunity to show that you can drop. So, I've definitely had teams talk to me about that, and I've definitely had teams that just say, hey, we want to have you on the defensive end sometimes rushing out wide and we're going to have you come in and rush from a three-technique. I'm used to that and I'm also used to dropping. I've dropped my freshman year and my sophomore year. So, I'm used to all three phases of how a team is willing to use me. And I like that. I like for teams to see that versatility and give me value, give me more range than maybe some of the other guys in this draft class. So, by my viewpoint, probably from inside out, I know when I'm inside things are going to happen a little bit quicker than it is on the outside."
WHAT IS YOUR GO-TO MOVE?
"Stab. I like to use my length. I think I have irregular length, elite length, so I want to use that against people."
WHAT ARE SOME COUNTERS YOU USE OFF OF THAT?
"One guy will reset me because, when you watch my tape, my get-off is going to jump out. So, guys will get a jump try to not get beat by me on the corner, they stop them, where they want to go, and then come under."
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE CHIEFS SATURDAY?
"I mean, they're probably going to put some film on me, some good, some bad, and see how I take it, but I don't think there's a perfect player out here that guys — everyone of us has bad tape at some point in the game. So, it's just how you handle it, how you come across as a coach and that's it."
HAVE YOU MET WITH THE BUCCANEERS YET?
"Yeah, but not formally."
WHO ARE SOME NAMES THAT YOU NOW FROM TEXAS ARE GOING TO BE PLUG AND PLAY IN 2019?
"Caden Sterns has already had a jump. That's probably one of the guys I think is going to be a first round pick soon. Ta'Quon Graham is going to be a plug and play. Gerald Wilbon. Malcolm Roach is going to be a leader on that defensive line, and then Joseph Assai, No. 46, is going to be a baller. Young kid, but he is going to be a baller. We've got some freshmen coming in. Anthony Cook at corner, Jaylon Green at corner. So, B.J. Foster. So, they've got guys, just young. But youth doesn't make you a bad player. It's football, it's football. It doesn't matter if you play for 10 years or five years. It doesn't matter."
HOW DO YOU COME INTO AN NFL LOCKER ROOM AND YOU'RE THE NEWEST FACE BUT YOU THINK YOU'RE AS GOOD AS ANYBODY ELSE?
"Yeah. Because that's why the organization drafted me. Ain't going to draft you and spend a pick of value if they don't think that you can beat out somebody there or help the organization. So, to me, football has been the same since it was created. So, just different, guys are bigger, stronger, faster, and I think I don't think I'd be able to fit that mold, I wouldn't be here. So, it's just, again, coming into new territory, you've just got to understand, see where you fit, make your impact and you go from there."
WHAT'S THE BIGGEST THING YOU TOOK FROM THE RAIDERS STAFF AT THE SENIOR BOWL?
"The D-line coach, he's cool. I liked his energy. And then I took the NFL it's ball, get off, get to the quarterback, and get that run if it comes. But they want to affect that quarterback, they want to get off the ball, they want guys who are going to strike you and be physical. So, that's definitely what I took and Coach Gruden has great energy. I really liked Coach Gruden. So, yeah, it was a good experience."
HOW DID THE EXPERIENCE WITH THE TITANS GO?
"It was good. Their outside linebackers coach I really liked him. He coached Orakpo and that's big bro, so I kind of had that idea of how he is and just going over where he would put me in different spots and understanding what they do, seeing the knowledge that I have in football and it was a good meeting."
WERE THERE ANY PLAYERS COMING UP YOU WANTED TO EMULATE?
"So there were three guys that I kind of like watch and try to take things from: Joey Bosa, Aaron
Donald, and Chandler Jones are three guys that I watch a lot to understand just what makes them so good. I take pieces from their game and put it, incorporate it into my game."
WHAT DID YOU TAKE FROM AARON DONALD?
"Aaron Donald's move at 3-tech, use your step, cross step, club. I've done that move inside and it's a move that, I mean, it works. He's getting guys in the league. I can do that in college and get guys and just perfect it. So, it works. It definitely works. And with Bosa his hand swipe and the physicality and his motor and his stab move as well. Same thing with Chandler Jones. Those are things I took from them. I want to incorporate that and try that, because if they're doing it and working, that means there's got to be something it. So, I may as well try it and perfect it myself."
IN THESE MEETINGS, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SHOW TEAMS AS FAR AS YOUR PERSONALITY?
"That I'm open to playing any position, that I'm a team guy. I'm very versatile and that I'm an asset that is not common because you want to find something that separates yourself. So, I speak on my length. I speak on my get-off. I speak on my versatility. I speak on my frame and being athletic and being able to move and play different positions, because that's something that's not as common. So, that's what I want to bring to the table to a defensive line coach and to an organization and to an owner. Hey, man, I think I'm very valuable. You can use me in different
places. I have things that most guys don't and that you wouldn't be wasting your investment if you invested in me with a high pick."
WHAT WOULD BE THE ONE GAME FILM YOU WOULD SUBMIT?
"Kansas State, this year. I was playing inside out. I was rushing on the edge. I played four. I played the three. I played the six. I played the nine. I was physical. I played well versus the run. Played well in pass rush and my energy. So, I think those aspects showed and that was, if I had to pick a game, that would be one."
WHAT WOULD YOUR WORST GAME BE?
"Probably Texas Tech, and just because the conditioning part. No excuse. Texas Tech is a pass-option, but I had to know that coming into the game that my conditioning is going to be a big thing. So, that's something that I have to, when somebody puts that on tape and they're like, 'Why is this happening?' I've got to be man enough to say, 'Yeah, this is what it is and this is why. But this is how I plan on fixing it.' And that's it."
WHAT IMPRESSED YOU ABOUT KYLER MURRAY'S ABILITY TO AVOID GETTING HIT AFTER HE GOT RID OF THE BALL?
"Kyler's smart. He knows that, as a defensive lineman, I'm trying to smash him. Period. And he's smaller, so you feel like the more times you hit him, the more you're going to affect him. So, he's very smart. The guy is an athletic freak. Great quarterback. Great player. I respect his game 100 percent and he understands — he understands his limitations if you can say, and he understands that, hey, I need to do this or this is going to happen and it's not a good result for my team."
WHAT DOES HE DO TO AVOID CLEAN-UP SHOTS?
"He ducks and turns away or if he throws the ball he will get down real fast. Yeah, I mean, you see it. You know it. You're in the stands. So, when I played against him and sacked him twice in the two times we played them, I went low. I went for his legs because if you take a man's legs he can't walk or run."
WHAT KIND OF PUNISHMENT WOULD YOU HAVE GIVEN KYLER MURRAY IF HE WASN'T THAT SMART?
"The punishment I gave the Kansas State quarterback."
WHAT ABOUT KYLER MURRAY MAKES YOU THINK HE CAN ADAPT TO THE NFL?
"Because he has smarts. He understands how people view him. He understands how defensive players think. So, he knows what he has to do in order to survive, and he's athletically gifted. The man can throw. He can run. He's it. That's somebody that I have — I have said it before that's the best player I played against. So, he understands. So, I think he'll be able to adjust. He'll be good."
IS HE THE BEST QUARTERBACK IN THE DRAFT?
"I ain't going to say that. I'm not a quarterback guru. I just know from the quarterback I played at UT that's the — Jared Goff is probably him and Jared Goff are right there and Mahomes. But he's one of the best players I've ever played against."
SPEAKING OF MAHOMES, WAS IT EVIDENT THAT HE WAS UNDER THE RADAR AT TEXAS TECH?
"I knew that he was going to be a really good passer. I knew that he had a really good deep ball. I didn't know that he was going to be MVP caliber. I didn't know that, but nobody knew that. You don't know who is going to be MVP. But I definitely knew he had really good arm talent, and he's shown it."
