NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Rufus Wolokolie, DB, Minnesota State-Mankato

 

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?

Rufus Wolokolie 

What is your Height/Weight?

6’1″ 205lbs

What is your position?

Cornerback/Safety

Where do you play college football?

Minnesota State Mankato 

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

This past summer I was able to talk to my older cousin’s pop warner football team about football, life lessons, and also put them through some drills.

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

Business statistics

Where are you from?

San Jose, CA.

Who is your role model, and why?

I don’t have one 

Did you play any other sports growing up?

Basketball

Did you play any other positions in football?

Running back, linebacker, and punt return 

At your position, what separates you from others?

I’m extremely assignment discipline and fundamentally sound.  

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

Consistent tendencies from receivers and quarterbacks along with route concepts depending on the down and distance.  

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

Devontae Booker

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

I don’t think I play like anybody, I feel like I have my own unique style of play, which makes me special.

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

I tore the main ligaments in my ankle my Junior year of college and it put me out for two years. It was frustrating because it was my first time dealing with an injury so severe. I was able to get through it by just trusting the process and rehabbing twice a day and doing whatever it takes to get healthy again. 

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

I say a prayer to my grandmother and my good friends Jaleel Alexander and Deshawn Brown. 

What is your biggest strength?

I’m assignment sound and very discipline so it’s rare for me to bust a coverage 

What is your biggest weakness?

Sometimes I tend to worry about things I have no control over 

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

I would tell you that you are getting a passionate very disciplined player that always gives 110% effort in whatever I do. you don’t have to worry about any off the field issues because i never get in trouble and finally I come to work each and every single day because I see each day as an opportunity to get better on and off the field. 

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

Charles Woodson and the Raiders are my favorite team

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

My grandmother, Jaleel Alexander, and Deshawn Brown

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

A house for my mother

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