NFL DraftProspect Interviews

NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Justice Bishop, LB, Union College

Justice Bishop of Union College recently interviewed with Draft Diamonds owner Damond Talbot

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: Justice Bishop
        •       Height: 6’2
        •       Weight: 235
        •       Position: LB/DE
        •       College: Union College
        •       Twitter: @justice_bishop 

Tell us about your hometown, and what you love most about it?
        •      I am from a small town called Greensburg in Kentucky. The population is a little over 2000 and the whole county has only 3 stop lights in it. What I love most about my county is that I went to Green County High School and every football or basketball game I go to everyone comes up to me and ask me how football is going and ask me about how things went in certain games even though I attend college 2 and a half hours away. Everyone keeps up with how I do and loves to come up to me and interact with me. I am such a big role model to all the little kids in my town and the younger generation that is in middle and high school now that want to be like me. Its a great feeling to be someone that someone can look up to.
List these three in order of importance and why: Film Study, Strength and Conditioning and Practice?
        •        They would go 1a, 1b, and 1c. Because if you slack off on any one of these then it will be brought to light eventually when it matters. All 3 of these aspects are so important and have to be taken seriously. Practice has be done like its a game. Full speed reps when your in and mental reps when you aren’t in. If you aren’t strong enough or fast enough you wont be physically able to compete and if you’re not in good football shape your endurance will suffer which will lead to you not playing at 100%. Also, if you don’t study film and know everything about your opponent on their steps, stances, and certain things they do differently you wont have an advantage. When I do film study on a left tackle and running back I write down his run and pass strengths and weaknesses and I also find how where he went to high school, his whole name, his parents name, his stats in high school, his height and weight, his past injuries, past awards, and his hometown. I know everything about the person I’m going against before I go against them on Saturday.
What do you worry about, and why?
        •        I worry about not being able to achieve the goals I have set for myself and letting all the little kids down that look up to me. 
Give me an example of when you failed at something. How did you react and how did you overcome failure?
        •        I failed my first semester of college. It took me by surprise and showed me that I could no longer just go through school without trying and be just fine. I finished my first semester with a 1.9 gpa. It hurt me because I knew I had let my family down because they had high hopes for me. Since then I have made the Deans List 4 times, graduated, and finished with a gpa over a 3.0.
What do your teammates say is your best quality?
        •        My teammates say my best quality is my dedication to grinding and working hard. I stay in the weight room, on the field training, or in the film room studying. They know that I will do anything I can to win and help my teammates get better.
Who is the best player you have ever played against in college?
        •        The best player I ever played against in college was an offensive tackle from Southeastern University. Jordan Heldreth. 3 time first-team all conference and an All-American this season. It’s not that he was overly powerful or quick but he was very technically sound and never blew any assignments. We had good battles the whole game my junior year.
What would your career be if you couldn’t play football? 
        •        I would be an athletic director. I graduated in December with 2 majors. Sports Management and Business Management. Once football comes to an end for me I plan on attending grad school and one day becoming an athletic director for a college.
Room, desk, and car – which do you clean first?
        •        Room. My car is rarely ever clean because I keep all my training equipment in there because you never know when you will find an hour to work out or a field wherever you are at. And, my desk keeps all my books and papers on it so I just leave that alone.
If there was a disaster and you could either save three strangers or one family member, which would you choose and why?
        •        Most people will probably automatically say 1 family member. But if I had the opportunity to save three strangers that could affect three different families, any of my family members would want me to save the three strangers to let three people return home to their families safely.
If you could be any television or movie character, who would you be and why?
        •        I would be myself as a movie character, but if I had to pick someone else then I would be Michael B. Jordan from Creed. The adversity he goes through and his work ethic he has and still does not win the fight but gave his all would be an awesome character to be.
Tell me about your biggest adversity in life and how you’ve dealt with or overcome it?
        •        My biggest adversity is when I was younger I had 3 family members pass away within a year and it was hard for me to understand why it kept happening to the people I loved most. I have dealt with it by remembering all the memories I had with them and continue to play this game I love as hard as I can knowing I have angels watching over me.
What is your most embarrassing moment?
        •        We were playing Bluefield College in West Virginia, and it poured rain all day the day before and the whole game and the temperature was in the 30s. Shoes and socks soaked. I have a good get off, see the QB looking to throw in the flats to the running back. I reached out one hand and picked it off. Tried to take off full speed down the field, never gained balance fully so I’m trying to keep my balance for about 40 yards and I fall without anyone tacking me. My teammates still give me a hard time about that one.
What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?
        •        Personally, I had a bunch of game-changing plays, but mine and my dad’s favorite play is when I played DE and ran a running back down 70 yards from the backside to make the tackle and save a touchdown.
What song best describes your work ethic?
        •        I Don’t Get Tired by Kevin Gates
What is the most important trait you can have (Physical or Non-Physical) to help you succeed at the next level? 
        •        Being a hard worker. Hard work and grinding is undefeated. Also, being open-minded. I believe these two are the most important to have. If you are a hard worker and you are open minded to play a different position then what you are used to or want to do any and every special team then I believe you will be successful at the next level in whatever league that will be.
If you could bring one person back from the dead for one day, who would it be and why?
        •        My aunt. Not to tell her anything about football and how I have done with it, but let her know I graduated college and had a GPA over a 3.0. She always wanted what was best for me and used to tell me all the time to make sure I stayed in school and had good grades. I would love to just sit at her house one more time and watch movies.
If you were to open a dance club, what would you name it? 
        •        Hip Flips. A phrase I have heard my whole college career in rushing the passer. If you get your hips flipped then the rest of your body will follow. And I feel like the people that can dance real good have good hips. So it would correlate well.
Who is the most overrated player in the NFL? 
        •        Being someone that is striving and grinding to get to the NFL I respect everyone that has ever made it or is currently in the league so I would say no one is overrated.
Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?
        •        Respected. Being liked is more of an emotional thing that can change if you do something someone may not like. However, if you are respected then no matter what you do, someone may think you should do it another way or not do that but they will respect your decision. I earned respect from my teammates and my coaches by being the first guy in, the last guy out when it came to weights, practice, and film. I always have and always will do whatever it takes to get better at what I do.
What player who had his career derailed by off-field issues do you feel for the most and why?
        •        Josh Gordon. Not because he got in trouble for drugs because he should have been suspended each time for that. But because he had more mental issues and tried to do therapy and could still never get back to himself.
Do you love to win, or hate to lose?
        •        Easy, hate to lose. With a passion. I love to win. However, when you win there is always room for improvement. Everyone loves when you are on top and winning. No one wants to be around talking about how good you are when you lose. I don’t sleep when I lose a football game. I will stay up and text my coaches and bug them to see when a film will be posted. I have to study it to see where myself and my defense messed up and where we can get better. I hate losing a basketball game, a game of Uno, a board game, anything at all. If theirs a winner I want that to be me.
Who has been the biggest influence on your life and explain why?
        •       My dad has had the biggest influence on my life. With sports, school, and just life. He has always been in my corner no matter if I have a dominant game or I feel like I underperformed. At a very young age, he was very tough on me when it came to sports and school so I have always wanted to succeed in everything I have ever done to make him and the rest of my family and my county proud.

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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