NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Franky Okafor, WR, Southeastern Oklahoma State

NFL Draft Diamonds and our staff have been bringing our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 2 years and this year we mixed up the questions and added some fun questions for our readers. We have tons of NFL staff that read our interviews, and we actually received several of the questions from NFL scouts we speak too. This gives them a little bit more information regarding your character. We hope to bring you more than 300 interviews of NFL Draft Prospects this season. You will be able to track them all on the front page of our website in the banner.

What is your name?

Franky Okafor

What is your Height/Weight?

6’3. 190

What is your position?

WR.

Where do you play college football?

Southeastern Oklahoma State.

Football is about giving back, what is the coolest thing you have done off the field?

I visited and helped out at a job for people with special needs. It was a cool experience for me. It was the first time I ever got a chance to do something like that.

What was the hardest college class you ever had to take?

English 2 my freshman year.

Where are you from?

I was born in Nigeria but I was raised in Arlington, Texas.

Who is your role model, and why?

My mother is my role model. She is super women in my eyes. She came to a new country with 2 little kids and raised me and my sister on her own and turned both of us into two mature adults about to receive a college degree.

Did you play any other sports growing up?

I played basketball in junior high and ran track my junior & senior year in high school.

Did you play any other positions in football?

No I’ve always played wide receiver.

At your position, what separates you from others?

My speed combined with my height & length separates me from others. But honestly I feel like it’s just my play making abilities.

When you are breaking down film, what do you look for?

First I look to see how the defense plays the formation. After that I’m looking too see if there is 1 high safety or 2 safeties because that helps to figure out what coverage they would be in. After that I’m looking too see how the corner is lined up. Is he head up to me? Is he playing inside or outside leverage? How far from me is he lined up? If he is in press coverage then I’m looking to see if he likes to jam. After that I’m looking for what he does when the receiver is trying to stack him. That’s just a couple things that I’m looking for while watching film.

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

Cornerback from Southwestern Oklahoma State.

If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be and why?

Julio Jones. I feel like we run alike as far as technique and stride. “Step over and drive” is something our strength and conditioning coach would always tell me. I love the way Julio plays and I try to take what I see from him and put it into my game.

What was the biggest obstacle in your life you had to overcome, and how did you overcome it?

Coming out of high school I didn’t have good grades and I had to graduate a semester later so I didn’t receive any scholarships. After I finished high school I walked on at Trinity Valley Community College and received a scholarship. Going thru that process made me the man I am today. It showed me that nothing will ever be handed to me and that I really had to work harder than everyone else.

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

Not really I usually just get a 20-30 minute nap whenever we get into the locker room.

As a small school football player what obstacles do you feel you have to overcome?

I will always have to overcome the fact that I didn’t go to a big 12 or SEC  school. I will always have to work a lot harder and be better than everyone else. I heard in the pros that how big of a name you have plays a huge role.

What is your biggest strength?

My mental strength. Being able to overcome obstacles.

What is your biggest weakness?

My weight.

If I were a GM and gave you a second to sell yourself, what would you say?

Talented & hardworking.

Who was your favorite player and/or NFL team growing up?

Randy Moss. Cowboys.

If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would you choose?

It would just be my dad. He died when I was real young. I would only choose him because I need that only time with him so I can ask him all the questions that I’ve always wanted to ask him all my life.

What will be the first big item you buy once you are in the NFL?

Definitely a house for my mama. Then I’m going straight to the dealership and getting a Porshe.

Rapid Answers

• Tupac or Biggie?
• NFL Network or ESPN?
• Coke or Pepsi? Neither. I don’t drink soda
• Pizza or Burgers?
• Dogs or Cats?