NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Walter Brady, LB, University of Akron

Name: Walter Brady

• Height: 6’ 3”

• Weight: 270

• Position: Defensive End

• College: University of Missouri/Middle Tennessee State University/University of Akron

 • Twitter: @Grindfor10 (Walter Brady)

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

•  My favorite thing about my hometown is the Southern culture. The Southern hospitality creates a different atmosphere.
List these three in order of importance and why: Film Study, Strength and Conditioning and Practice?

•  1 – Strength & Conditioning, because given the nature of the sport, being as physically conditioned and as healthy as possible is crucial.2 – Film Study, because it is always important to learn and know your opponent and to develop an understanding through watching them perform.3 – Practice, last but not least, because that is how you prepare. It’s live-action preparation that translates into how you play/handle the game.

What do you worry about, and why?

•  I worry about my family not accomplishing the things that we want to do in life. I want my sisters and everyone else to be able to prosper and reach their goals, and for that reason, I do my best to help them get to where they need to be. I worry because they are the most important people to me, and although we are blessed, building on our given position is not easy. 

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

•  Coming out of high school, I failed myself by not putting myself in the best position possible as far as moving on to post-secondary education. I had to let go of what I knew, develop a new work ethic, and really push myself to succeed academically.

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

•  My teammates have said my best quality is my diligence. 

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

•  It would have to be Dak Prescott.

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

•  I would be an Athletic director.

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

•  I would clean my room first. It’s my space, I’m responsible for it, and I like a clean home – clean home, clean mind. 

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

•  I’d save one family member – my two-year-old niece, McKenzie. She is the baby of the family, she is the first priority of everyone in my household. 

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

•  Dean Winchester from Supernatural. He’s an all-around tough guy, and he is always fighting for the good, never giving up. 

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

•  My dismissal from the University of Missouri was my biggest adversity. To overcome it, I buckled down ten times harder on my academics to ensure that I would still graduate with my bachelor’s degree. It was a life lesson because it forced me to reposition myself, I gained a lot of knowledge, and became a better man from it. Even though it was not an easy situation, I would not quit on the goals I set out for myself.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

•  When I was thirteen, and I found out my digestive system did not handle dairy well…

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

•  Definitely my first interception against South Carolina.

What song best describes your work ethic?

•  Noodles and Oodles by Meek Mill – it’s all about making nothing into something and creating opportunities for yourself.

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

•  Intelligence. It’s all about knowing what to do with what you’ve got.

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

•  It would be my teammate from middle school, because he was one of my closest friends and teammates that I lost due to gun violence. He was the first person I had lost in a tragic way and had great potential to be a great man one day.

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

•  Milk Below

Who is the most overrated player in the NFL? 

•  I’d have to say Khalil Mack.

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

•  I would rather be respected. Respect is earned, and realistically, if everyone likes you, in some aspect, you are not being true to yourself. 

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

•  Randy Gregory, because his career was in jeopardy and he had the opportunity to prove himself worthy, and he did just that. His career was derailed, but he got back on track. 

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

•  I hate to lose.

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

• My mom, because with any adversity I have come across in my life, she has been the most consistent person. She has stood by me in every aspect of my life.