NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Maurice Carnell, DB, North Alabama

What is your name?

Maurice Carnell IV

What is your Height/Weight?

5’10 180

What is your position?

DB

Where do you play college football?

Uni. Of North Alabama The DBU!

Where are you from?

Sunny San Diego, California

Who is your role model, and why?

My mama. She is the strongest and most hardworking women I know. Y’all don’t know the half she been through but my mama never folded. Always kept faith & kept pushing. I owe her the world & she will have it soon!

Who was your favorite teacher?

He was one of the realest teachers I know and could relate to us kids & the situations we dealt with or was going through. Mr.Ochoa -Lincoln High School

Did you play any other sports growing up?

Baseball & basketball

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

My teammate Dre Hall, the best WR in D2. I had to face him everyday at practice. We competed hard everyday! Iron sharpens iron, It got my game a lot better and stuff he beat me on helped me fix it so it wouldn’t happen in the game, I wasn’t playing nobody better than that man game day.

Who is the most underrated player on your team?

Damon Cox (RB) people really don’t know how hard of a worker he is, he constantly out on the field or running hills (by himself) getting better! His work ethic and his talents man Dudes a beast. Give him the ball!

What is the one song that would fire you up before the biggest game of your life?

Jay-Z & Rihanna (Run This Town) that beat is so hard! They did something with that one.

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

It would be Xavier Rhodes, he’s a very physical player! In your face all game at the line, can cover great, play fast, & he coming down laying that wood. He just got that dog style of play! I would definitely compare my game to his. We aggressive!! But a smart player at the same time.

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

2014 the year after I broke my elbow & had to bounce back. That was my 2nd football season in a row I missed. It sucked but I rehabbed everyday to get my strength and flexibility back. But that next spring I came back stronger & put everything into the time I had. It was tough though, I didn’t have no school looking at me or anything like everyone else. Then a situation popped up & I ended up switching schools that summer & went to Grossmont. I dominated since the day I set foot on that field & people knew about me then. They felt my pain not playing for 2 years & having to go through the stuff that I went through. I had doubters but all it did was motivate me & I ended up with multiple Offers and all.

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

Walk down the field & touch the goalpost & thank the man above, then call my mama & we pray together!

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

My 2nd INT of that game but my first pic6 at UNA vs Florida Tech (Homecoming). It just happened so perfect, baited up Mark Cato pretty good & he threw me one & poof I was in the end zone after that celebrating with my brothers!

What is the coolest thing you ever did off the field for someone else?

When we were in Kansas City for the DII National Championship, we got a chance to visit the Veterans Hospital & meet all the Vets. I had this special made coin with the NCAA logo & it had a cool design with all the branches on the other side. I met this one guy, great dude, loved his job & what he did for our country & it’s crazy because he didn’t have any family or close friends. I told him we appreciated his service & gave him that coin, man it made his day. I could definitely tell that us visiting impacted some of their lives just to see us. It was a blessing to be able to do that and have that experience.

Who was your favorite NFL team growing up?

San Diegoooo Super Chargerssssss!!

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

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. , Meagan Fox, Denzel Washington