NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Jonathan Burgess Jr., OL, Liberty University

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?

Jonathan Burgess Jr

What is your Height/Weight?

6’2 305

What is your position?

OG/C

Where do you play college football?

Liberty University

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

On Halloween every year we get some volunteers from every team, and we go out and instead of collecting candy we collect food to donate to the Daily Bread to feed those in need. Seeing everyone’s reaction when a football player comes to their door on Halloween is always fun, and being able to give back of course.

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

Philosophy was by far the hardest class I’ve had to take .

Where are you from?

Stafford, Virginia

Who is your role model, and why?

My parents are my biggest role models in my life, they’ve pushed me and encouraged me to get where I am now. As well as my grandfather, who is a very hard worker, he’s someone I’ve always admired for working a lot with no complaints.

Did you play any other sports growing up?

Basketball, Baseball, and Wrestling .

Did you play any other positions in football?

I played defensive line as well in high school

At your position, what separates you from others?

My ability to use my hands effectively, while moving my feet in pass protection is my biggest strengths an offensive lineman. Also being able to pull and get on corners, safeties, and linebackers.

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

The main thing I’m looking for are tendencies in each lineman to know what pass rush moves to be ready for. I also look for what alignments that the defensive line will get into when they are going to bring an internal blitz or twist, do they like to twists on third downs, and linebacker alignments.

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

There are a few. My first game of my college career I had to go against Roosevelt Nix, who now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers he was one of the fastest interior defensive lineman I’ve seen to this day. O.J. Mau was also another guy, he’s pretty strong and plays well with his hands.

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

In high school I found out about a sight called Virginia preps, and I began looking at high school offensive lineman highlights. I came across Morgan Moses out of UVA who now plays for the Washington Redskins. I never seen someone maul somebody and finish every block that was before. Afterwards going into my senior year I began trying to take that effort level into every game that I play. His high school highlight is still the best one in my opinion I’ve seen still to this day.

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

When I was let go from the team at Liberty University, when I initially walked on was probably one of the the roughest time for me mentally. I’ve never been out of a sport before and I struggled for those few months before finding motivation outside of a sport, and I knew I had so much more to offer and just needed a chance to develop and show it. I overcame it by coming back on the team again the next semester and getting to the point I’m in now.

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

No rituals, I mainly just keep a level head, I don’t get to hyper before a game I’m around laughing,talking, listening to music before a game to keep myself relaxed, and just execute the way I was taught.

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

Just proving that just because I’m not from an FBS school, that I can play at a high level.

What is your biggest strength?

My ability to use my hands effectively, and be able to improvise if a look we get on the play isn’t exactly how we’ve been practicing finding a way to get the job done anyways.

What is your biggest weakness?

Playing at full speed if I’m hesitant with an assignment at the last second. So I always prepare as much as I can to prevent that.

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

I’m a hard worker, I do whatever is asked of me, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done.

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

Tennessee Titans

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

Bernie Mac, Martin Lawrence, and Dave Chappelle.

With your first NFL paycheck what would you buy?

Groceries

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?