NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Leviticus Payne, DB, University of Cincinnati

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?

Leviticus Payne

What is your Height/Weight?

5’9 193

What is your position?

DB

Where do you play college football?

University of Cincinnati 

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

Give back to the community by visiting kids at  an elementary school once a week. 

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

Criminal stats

Where are you from?

Detroit 

Who is your role model, and why?

My mother, she always reminded me the things I shouldn’t do, and what u should stay focused on. 

Did you play any other sports growing up?

Baseball for 9 years, basketball for 3, and track for 2. 

Did you play any other positions in football?

Slot WR, RB, FB, LB, SS, FS, CB, Nickel

At your position, what separates you from others?

Being able to think fast and play fast. My quickness to guard WR’s but strong enough to play in the box. I try to be very versatile

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

Go too moves(when pressed and off man), favorite routes, if the team is a tempo team, habits, how personnel affects play calling, and who do they want to have the ball and why. 

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

Justin Hardy from ECU

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

Tyrann Mathieu or Earl Thomas. Quick guys that are aggressive and can play in multiple spots in the backend 

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

Losing my nephew before I left for college and losing my brother while in college. I just prayed and did my best to stay focused on the task I was trying to accomplish, and I dedicated all the sports stuff I was doing to them. 

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

Get a nice warm up, think about the plays I messed up at practice and why, also think about their scheme and how they are going to attack us, then I pray. 

What is your biggest strength?

Quickness, aggressiveness, decision making, and willing to work on everything I’m not good at. 

What is your biggest weakness?

Top of the route coverage. Think too much sometimes 

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

Teach me how to be great! 

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

LT(chargers RB) Ed Reed, Sean Taylor, Ray Lewis, Deion Sanders. Ravens, Chargers, 49ers.

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

My brother that passed away while at school, Michel Jackson, and Dave Chappell. 

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

A decent spot to stay and nice car