NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Jakob Dempsey, OL, Jacksonville University

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

• Name: Jakob Dempsey

• Height: 6’2”

• Weight: 300

• Position: RG, butgoing to learn Center and Long snapper for the next level.

• College:Jacksonville University

• Twitter: @jakedempsey64

Tell us about yourhometown, and what you love most about it?

•  I’m from alittle town called Palm Coast located in Florida. It is an hour south ofJacksonville. It is a beach town where it’s hard to make it out of and if youdo, you often times find yourself right back there. My favorite part about PalmCoast is the beach.

List these three inorder of importance and why: Film Study, Strength and Conditioning andPractice?

•  Practice,Strength and Conditioning, and Film Study. Practice is the most importantbecause that’s where you build your habits and you play like you practice.Strength and conditioning is a second because you don’t have to be strong, butit certainly helps, and you definitely have to be in shape. Film Study is lastbecause it’s definitely important to see who you’re going against and how theyplay, but not every offense is the same and defensive schemes change from weekto week, so you might watch something and then the team comes out in somethingcompletely different.

What do you worryabout, and why?

•  I worry aboutletting my family, friends, and myself down. I have a lot of people counting onme.

Give me an example ofwhen you failed at something. How did you react and how did you overcomefailure?

•  My sophomoreyear, I was a math major and failed Calc 2 and Chemistry, so I switched mymajor to education and ever since then I’ve had a 4.0. So I was aware that achange needed to be made and I’ve done well since that change.

What do your teammatessay is your best quality?

•  My strength.I’ve been the strongest on my team since I’ve been here and it motivates theother players to grind hard in the weight room.

Who is the best playeryou have ever played against in college?

•  DrakeUniversity, their D line was very good every year.

What would your careerbe if you couldn’t play football? 

•  I’m studyingeducation and want to be a high school math teacher and football coach iffootball doesn’t work out. If it does, I want to open my own gym with the moneyI get.

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

•  Room, I spendthe most time in there.

If there was adisaster and you could either save three strangers or one family member, whichwould you choose and why?

•  One familymember because its family.

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

•  I would wantto be in Seinfeld. I want to crack jokes with Jerry, George, and Kramer.

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

•  My sophomoreyear I was a math major and failed Calc 2 and Chemistry. The next semester, Ichanged my major to education and had a 4.0 ever since. Just being able to beaware of what I was doing wrong and changing it and seeing the success isimportant.

What is your mostembarrassing moment?

•  Week 7 of mysenior year, I almost recovered a fumble for a touchdown but it bounced off ofmy stomach and went into the back of the endzone for a touch back.

What was the mostmemorable play of your collegiate career?

•  My freshmanyear, I almost caught a tipped ball but it bounced off my chest and went rightthrough my hands and I was tackled instantly.

What song bestdescribes your work ethic?

•  Hustlin- RickRoss

What is the mostimportant trait you can have (Physical or Non-Physical) to help you succeed atthe next level? 

•  Beingcoachable, which ties into learning. The day you stop learning is they day youdie.

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

•  Jimi Hendrix,It would be cool to hear him make a song with all the sounds that are availabletoday that weren’t available back in the 60s.

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

• The Roxbury  

Who is the mostoverrated player in the NFL? 

• Jalen Ramsey, hetalks a lot of junk and gets exposed.   

Would you rather beliked or respected, and why?

•  Respected. Idon’t want people to like me and be fake.

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

•  Josh Gordan,you hate to see someone with such crazy talent like he has throw it all awayfor a plant.

Do you love to win, orhate to lose?

•  Hate to lose,because if I’m playing that means I know that I can win.

Who has been thebiggest influence on your life and explain why?

• My dad, he is ahouse painter and basically instilled the hard-working mindset in me.