NFL DraftProspect Interviews

NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Darrius Hart, DB, University of Maine

Darrius Hart of Maine recently sat down with NFL Draft Diamonds owner Damond Talbot for this interview. Check it out!
  • Name: Darrius Hart
  • Height: 6’2
  • Weight: 205 lbs
  • Position: FS/SS
  • College: University of Maine 
  • Twitter: D_hart07
Tell us about your hometown, and what you love most about it?
  • I’m from Toms River, New Jersey a town that got well known from the show Jersey Shore. What I love most about this town is the diversity and talent in the area. Growing up I always had tough matchups every week from Pop Warner through High School. Also, love the beach and boardwalk which is about 10 mins away from me. 

List these three in order of importance and why: FilmListStudy, Strength and Conditioning, and Practice? 

  • I think film study is definitely number one on the list. Without film study, you’re just another athlete out there on the field playing football and at the next level, guys are just too good to do that. You must break down different tendencies, schemes, and formations before you can play 100 mph. Then I would throw practice in there at number 2. You play as you practice, and good players/teams all know how to practice the right way. Then strength and conditioning because in season and the off-season are crucial in developing yourself into a better athlete/player so you can reach your full potential and avoid injury. 

What do you worry about, and why?

  • I worry about my family a lot, being 9 hours away from home. I am a huge family man, they come first in my life and I worry up at school about them. It also has a lot to do with losing my father when I was 13 to a car accident.      

Give me an example of when you failed at something. How did you react and how did you overcome failure?

  • I’ve failed multiple times at things, but one thing that sticks with me is failing to prepare the right way for the next level. In High School, I played mostly off raw talent and did not do much extra to be the best I could be. Once I reached college, I realized everyone was just as big, fast, and strong and it was a reality check for me my first camp. I stayed humble and just worked my butt off all camp and all offseason to reach my full potential.     

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

  • My football IQ.   

Who is the best player you have ever played against in college?

  • I will have to give that to Darius Victor from Towson. Him or Tom Flacco from Towson it might be a tie. Both phenomenal players that made a lot happen for their programs.  

What would your career be if you couldn’t play football? 

  • If I could not play football, I would be coaching football because I love the game. I would love to change a kids life not only on the field but off the field as well as coaches did for me.    

Room, desk, and car – which do you clean first?

  • Definitely car, I like to drive a lot and just be in the car so if it’s a mess that would definitely get to me.   
Darrius Hart of Maine has NFL size and NFL abilities

If there was a disaster and you could either save three strangers or one family member, which would you choose and why?

  • Definitely one family member because my family means the world to me. I have Family First tattooed across my chest.   

If you could be any television or movie character, who would you be and why?

  • Jesus Shuttlesworth from He Got Game. He was an elite basketball player with hate towards the world especially his father for his mother’s death. He is recruited heavily and wants to make the best decision for his FAMILY. Reminds me a little of myself growing up being mad at the world because of my father’s death. I got that hate out my heart and stopped pushing people away and made the best decision of my life attending Maine.

Tell me about your biggest adversity in life and how you’ve dealt with or overcome it?

  • I have faced a lot of adversity, but definitely, my father dying was the hardest. I wanted to quit football, basketball and just give up on everything. I knew my father wouldn’t want that, so I used him as motivation to fuel me to play the best football I could play and receive a scholarship offer like he wanted me to. 

What is your most embarrassing moment?

  • Coming into college as a freshman and having to take my shirt off to do body fat and everyone screaming, “look at that bird chest!” That moment definitely was embarrassing, but funny at the same time.     

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

  • My redshirt sophomore year I made a diving interception in the back of the end zone against James Madison in the third quarter I believe when all points mattered in that game. When you hold the offense to a field goal, we consider that a win for the defense so when I made that play I was so excited because it was also my first career interception. 

What song best describes your work ethic?

  • Not the entire song, but the intro to the song Dreams and Nightmares by Meek Mill describes me and why my work ethic is the way it is. An underrated kid with a chip on his shoulder.   

What is the most important trait you can have (Physical or Non-Physical) to help you succeed at the next level?

  • Being humble. The next level can throw many tests your way, you must remain true to yourself and what you believe in and stay the same. Never get too high and never get too low because that is when it will get you.   

If you could bring one person back from the dead for one day, who would it be and why?

  • My father of course because we have a lot of unfinished conversations that need to be finished. 

If you were to open a dance club, what would you name it? 

  • “Dancing with Dee” 

Who is the most overrated player in the NFL?

  • If you’re a professional, playing with the best of the best I don’t think anyone is really overrated. 

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

  • Respect. Respect goes a long way in my book, and I’ve always said on and off the field you don’t have to like me but you will respect me.    

What player who had his career derailed by off-field issues do you feel for the most and why?

  • Josh Gordon, even though he is coming back now I just felt for him so much because he had an issue that was hard for him to control and was being bashed for years. How mentally tough you have to be to still be motivated to live out your dreams after all that is incredible to me.   

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

  • I love to win. Losing is part of life so you cannot hate it because in some cases taking a loss was needed. I love to win though for sure.   

Who has been the biggest influence on your life and explain why?

  • Definitely my grandmother. An immigrant from Poland with 4 kids just trying to live out the “American Dream.” I watched her struggle so much and work so hard to provide for me and my brother. She is so caring, and the way she wants to help others before herself really stuck with me. She has been there for me since the day I was born and has never turned her back on me once whether I made a bad decision or not. 

Damond Talbot

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

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