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NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Matt Deiana, RB, William Paterson University

Matt Deiana has NFL abilities and runs extremely hard through the holes
Matt Deiana has NFL abilities and runs extremely hard through the holes

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? 

Matt Deiana

What is your Height/Weight? 

5’7 190 pounds

What is your position? 

Running Back & Returner

Where do you play college football? 

William Paterson University, but also competed at Uconn & SUNY Cortland

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

I work with youth football players at camps, as well as train a bunch of younger athletes, and it’s really enjoyable to see how much they appreciate my advice. Seeing that I can have a positive impact on someone else’s athletic career is just as gratifying as helping my own career.

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

Music in Western Civilizations. Impossible.

Where are you from? 

Somers, New York

Who is your role model, and why? 

Both of my parents because they both work extremely hard in their own way and take care of my siblings and I.

Did you play any other sports growing up? 

Lacrosse & Wrestling

Did you play any other positions in football? 

I played OLB and SS in High School

At your position, what separates you from others? 

My combination of being able to run inside & outside, catch passes, and block as well as my toughness to do whatever it takes

matt deiWhen you are breaking down film, what do you look for?

I watch myself to see what mistakes I made and where I can improve. I look for physical issues that I can improve in training as well as skill/technique issues that I can work on in practice. When watching other defenses I look at how each position & player tends to react to certain reads and plays so I can get an idea of how they will react to my team.

Who was the toughest player you ever faced? 

It is really hard to choose just one player. I have faced a lot of really good football players, and some that have gone on to play in the NFL, but ultimately after a game the defense as a whole is what I remember.

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

He isn’t on a team anymore, but I would have to say Ray Rice. We are both built similarly with speed and quickness, and are a receiving threat, but also have the ability and willingness to run inside and pass protect

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

I struggled with my decision on where to play after high school, and bounced around schools. Throughout that time I had many thoughts about no longer playing but I always remembered how much I loved the game. I trusted in hard work and knew that if I continued to give everything I had things would work out.

Do you have any pre-game rituals? 

I have to listen to my music while doing my own specific warmup prior to our pregame warmup

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

I feel like obviously the competition will be an obstacle as well as my height

What is your biggest strength? 

I can play every down and do everything a RB needs to do; Run, catch, fake, pass block, run block.

What is your biggest weakness? 

Preferring to run someone over instead of you using my speed

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

I would tell them that they are getting someone who refuses to be outworked and they will not find a tougher player. I am willing to do whatever it takes on and off the field to be successful and have the skill set to do whatever it necessary whether it is on offense or special teams.

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

I am a Dallas Cowboy fan and Emmitt Smith was always my favorite player

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

Emmitt Smith, Danny Woodhead, Frankie Edgar

With your first NFL paycheck what would you buy?

A vacation for my parents to any destination they want

Rapid Answers:

  • Spongebob or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
  • Backstreet Boys or One Direction?
  • Lifetime Channel or HGTV?
  • Waffles or Pancakes?
  • Snakes or Spiders?
  • Madden or Mario

Damond Talbot

NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com

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