NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Dewayne Alford, DE/OLB, University of South Alabama
NFL Draft Diamonds website has been providing our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 3 years and this year we mixed things up a bit. Our questions are designed to give our readers a little more insight on the draft eligible player. We hope to bring you more than 500 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 our next prospect!!!!
What is your name?
Dewayne Alford Jr
What is your Height/Weight?
6’3 240
What is your position?
DE/OLB
Where do you play college football?
University of South Alabama
Football is about giving back, what is the coolest thing you have done off the field?
Volunteered at several elementary schools for their weekly game nights
What was the hardest college class you ever had to take?
Research and Design Methods
Where are you from?
Suffolk, VA
Who is your role model, and why?
My father Dewayne Alford. He has and still is showing me how to be a man in all aspects of life and being accountable for your actions
Did you play any other sports growing up?
Baseball, track and field
Did you play any other positions in football?
In high school: running back, tight end, wide receiver. College: Full-back, and Defensive Tackle
At your position, what separates you from others?
My ball get off and speed
When you are breaking down film, what do you look for?
Body language that will show the type of play that could happen, tendencies, split/gap size, level of the running back in relation to the quarterback, ratio of runs to passes
Who was the toughest player you ever faced?
T.J. Clemmings
If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be and why?
Dee Ford, I think we both have a somewhat similar style of play
What was the biggest obstacle in your life you had to overcome, and how did you overcome it?
Tearing my Achilles during the summer right before my senior season. I overcame the adversity through rehabilitation, prayer, and immersing myself in my school work.
Do you have any pre-game rituals?
Prayer
What is your biggest strength?
My resilience
What is your biggest weakness?
Wanting to make every play which can sometimes get you in trouble
If I were a GM and gave you a second to sell yourself, what would you say?
I am a hard worker, I try and motivate my teammates through example, I won’t embarrass the organization, in order to keep from being a stagnant player, and every practice I try and pick out at least one flaw in my game and work on it that day.
Who was your favorite player and/or NFL team growing up?
Favorite player: John Abraham. Favorite team: New Orleans Saints
If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would you choose?
Dr. Sebi, Shirley Chisholm, and Big K.R.I.T.
What will be the first big item you buy once you are in the NFL?
An apartment
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