NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Withney Simon, LB, Southern Illinois University

NFL Draft Diamonds has interviewed some of the best small schoolers to make it to the NFL. Last year our team interviewed over 750 players from NAIA to the FBS. This year we went to NFL teams scouts for every question on this interview. Ten NFL scouts who are avid readers of Draft Diamonds put this interview together for our reader’s pleasure. We hope you enjoy this interview, with another potential NFL draft prospect.

• Name: Withney Simon
• Height: 5’11
• Weight:228
• Position: Outside Linebacker
• College: Southern Illinois University Carbondale
• Twitter: lowkey_ty35

Tell us about your hometown, and what you love most about it?

• The thing I love most about my home country Haiti is how we utilize our natural resources to make an everyday living.

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

• Film studies is important because you are learning your opponent strength and weakness, the importance of strength and conditioning is to put yourself in the best position to be the best player on the field, practice is very important because that’s where everything start, that’s where you learn from your mistakes so the do not occur during the game.

What do you worry about, and why?

• I worry the most about my family, I worry about not letting them down by being the best I can be.

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

• My failure was a learning experience

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• My personality

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

• Dallas Goedert

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

• Probably a public speaker

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

• Desk

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

• I would save my family member, a slogan in my family is no one get left behind.

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

• I would be Floyd Mayweather, the way he carries himself, his mindset on how he cannot be beat.

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

• my biggest adversity in life was my parents becoming homeless with three of my sisters, we overcame everything by putting God first and letting him do his work without complaining even though it was tough.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• Getting crack backed my Freshman year against University of Indiana

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

• My sophomore year against South Dakota a receiver came across the field for a pass and I laid him out

What song best describes your work ethic?

• Hustle Hard by Ace Hood

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

• I would say you need both at the next level.

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

• I would bring my Grandmother back to show her the man that I am now if it was not for her my family would not be who we are today.

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

• Paradise

Who is the most overrated player in the NFL?

• I do not believe that anyone at the level is overrated.

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

• I would rather be respected, anyone can like you but when you have people respect it is a whole different level.

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

• Chad Johnson, I know what he did was not right at all but for a person that loves the game of football they way he does I feel for him.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

• WIN!

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

• My mother is my biggest influence in life, she educate me no matter what life throws at you, you can over come anything you just got to believe in yourself and have faith that God is with you every step of the way.