NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Samuel Narkaj, DT, Concordia University (Canada)

NFL Draft Diamonds has been bringing our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 3 years and this year we mixed up the questions and added some fun questions for our readers. Our questions are designed to give our readers a little more insight on the player. We hope to bring you more than 350 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 to the right.  Now let’s meet the prospect!!!!

What is your name? 

Samuel Narkaj

What is your Height/Weight? 

Height: 6’1 Weight: 295 lbs

What is your position? 

Defensive Tackle

Where do you play college football? 

Concordia University

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

In past years I volunteered with a couple of my teammates where we ran an after-school sports program in a local school over the span of 10 weeks. We played games with the students and taught them about the importance of being active, working together as a team and having fun.

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

The hardest class I ever had to take was a philosophy class called Critical Thinking.

Where are you from? 

Born in Albania Raised in Toronto, Canada

Who is your role model, and why? 

My dad is my role model because he always puts our family before himself. He is very hard working, dedicated and has supported me throughout my entire life.

Did you play any other sports growing up? 

Yes, I was a wrestler

Did you play any other positions in football? 

Yes, I played linebacker, offensive guard and defensive end.

At your position, what separates you from others? 

I feel that my strengths are in my hands, my ability to move people and shed blocks. My wrestling background allows me to use my opponent’s weight against them.

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

I look at the tendencies of the offensive lineman, which way he leans on certain plays, his stance in run plays compared to his stance in pass plays and how they shoot their hands.

Who was the toughest player you ever faced? 

Charles Vaillancourt and Roman Grozman are the toughest players I have ever faced.

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

I would compare myself to Ndamukong Suh because I dominate the middle and command a double team.

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

When I was a child I had to immigrate from Albania to Italy and then shortly after I moved to the United States and then to Canada. The moving did not have that much affect on me, however, moving from the United States to Canada was very difficult because it felt like football was being taken away from me and I had to live in a culture that was not as passionate about football. What made it more difficult was that it took place during my teenage years, which was a very critical time in my life with regards to football.

Do you have any pre-game rituals? 

I pray to our Lord and Savior for giving me the opportunity to work hard and play the sport I love.

What is your biggest strength? 

My biggest strengths are my ability to make plays in crucial moments and have a sense of where the ball is at all times.

What is your biggest weakness? 

My biggest weakness is at times taking plays off which hurts my team and myself

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

I would say that I always put the team first and would do whatever is being asked of me to the best of my abilities; I would not let you down on or off the field.

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

My favorite player was Barry Sanders and my favorite team was the Detroit Lions.

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

If I could have dinner with three people they would be Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Brady and Bill Clinton.

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

I would buy a house for my parents

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