NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Viavia Manuma, OLB, Southwest Baptist University

 

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? 

Viavia James Manuma

What is your Height/Weight? 

6″0/ 255lb

What is your position? 

OLB/DE

Where do you play college football? 

Southwest Baptist University

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

Giving back. I was asked to be a part of a summer football program to offer my college football experiences and knowledge of the game to the young athletes of my island home. I felt very fortunate and humbled to help them with the basics and they were very excited and appreciative.

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

Physical Science

Where are you from? 

Pago pago, American Samoa

Who is your role model, and why? 

My parents are my role models because without them I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. Their encouragement , their support, their prayers is what motivates me to work harder and keep striving no matter the circumstance.

Did you play any other sports growing up?

 I played volleyball growing up way before I started playing football and a little bit of soccer/basketball.

Did you play any other positions in football? 

I played my whole career of football as a running back since high school and my first two year in college until I got a little bigger. Our line backer coach Marcus Khlund talked to me about moving me to the other side of the ball, and I now Im glad I made the right decision.

At your position, what separates you from others?

 I think what separates me from others is my vision and my ability to get backfield to the QB quicker and knowing what the offensive line is giving away. 

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

I played offense before and I know some kinds of stuff they do. As I am watching film, I look for tendencies in formation alignment and their blocking schemes.

Who was the toughest player you ever faced? 

The toughest player I have ever faced was my older brother James Manuma when he started as an MLB here at Southwest Baptist University, and I was a redshirt RB going against him.

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

Troy Polamalu, because of his quickness, his agility and his athleticism overall.

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

When my daughter Lealosina came to this world, I feel like quitting school and football and leave college to be with her while she’s growing up, but I was thinking about her future and my future to graduate college with a degree and chase my dreams to provide her everything she needs. 

Do you have any pre-game rituals? 

Praying and listening to slow songs that makes me calm and focus more. Sometimes I talk to my daughter that means the world to me just to hear her voice and her saying “I love you daddy”. It might be something little to others but it is something to remind  me why I’m here. 

 What is your biggest strength? 

My speed and physicality 

What is your biggest weakness? 

My fear to fail.

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

If you give me a chance, you”ll not regret it

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

My favorite player is the most humble person Troy Polamalu.

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

My mother, father and daughter.

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

First thing I would do is to help our Pastor Simon Mageo to build a new church for my church family “Vaitele Amazing Grace” in American Samoa then build my parents a house and help my family with their struggles.

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