NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Nydair Rouse, DB, West Chester University

• Name: Nydair Rouse
• Height: 6’0
• Weight: 187
• Position: DB
• College: West Chester University of Pennsylvania
• Twitter: @Ptbyola

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

• I’m from North Philadelphia and what I love most about it is how everyone is so talented in everything, so if you make it out in whatever you do you’re a rare breed, it’s competitive.

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

• Practice because you can only get better if you have good practices, then film study because you have to be able to know your opponents from top to bottom to put together what you’ve practiced and game planned against them then strength and condition last because that’s something you should do on the regular your body is an investment.

What do you worry about, and why?

• I worry about my mom and four sisters. Being from Philadelphia has its perks but with the homicide rate steadily increasing I worry for their lives on the daily.

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

• My senior season of the indoor track I ran a 26 in the 200 at a big meet being as though I was banged up from football season, I had another race the following week and this was the last chance to make states. I didn’t panic had a great week of practice and ran the best time of the day at 22.3.

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• My ability to put them in position to make plays knowing that opponents will try to stay away from me.

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

• Milly Rae, WR from Slippery Rock. Made ESPN 5 weeks straight and had a segment! Great player.

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

• Director of Client Services which I still have aspirations of doing after football.

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

• Room, Car, Desk.

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

• One family member, no offense to the stranger but family is fleshing blood and cannot be replaced.

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

• Will Smith on Pursuit of Happiness because he was grinding from the bottom to get to the top and that builds so much character as a person.

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

• On May 14^th, 2016, I was shot in the head in North Philadelphia. I overcame it by having the mindset that I’m fortunate to be alive and still being able to play this sport of football, I went on and had the best season of my career and made 0 excuses.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• One my most embarrassing moment has to be when I played varsity basketball for Simon Gratz and we were playing MCS on national TV, I air-balled a floater that could’ve taken the game to OT.

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

• My sophomore season we were losing to Bently University and I caught a pick 6 to take the lead with 3 minutes. We won the game!

What song best describes your work ethic?

• Championships –Meek Mill

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

• Non- Physical because I feel like at the next level everyone is fast, strong, and athletic. So I believe if you have the mental aspect down packed you could separate yourself.

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

• Martin Luther King, because he took a risk with his life to stop segregation and even though it still issues its so many more people being proactive and taking stands the positive way.

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

• Dollar party colosseum

Who is the most overrated player in the NFL?

• I actually don’t know. Maybe Sam Bradford, but I respect him because he stays employed and gets PAID.

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

• Respected, people only like what they understand. I feel like eventually if you’re respected enough and people understand they’ll like you. Look at Jay Z

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

• Aaron Hernandez, I feel like he would’ve been a Hall of Famer but had mental health issues that could’ve been helped.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

• I hate to lose more than I love to win!

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

• My Mom has been the biggest influence, being able to raise me and my four sisters by herself has to be one of the hardest tasks in life. She gives me my grind and hustle because if she quits where do we go? Reasons why I can’t and won’t ever be a quitter!