NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Zahneer Shuler, RB, University of New Mexico

• Name: Zahneer Shuler
• Height: 6’1 
• Weight:235 
• Position: Running back/ H back 
• College: University of New Mexico 
• Twitter: ZahneerShuler 

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

• Woodbridge NJ, I love my hometown because of how much support I have around me. Going from the young kids that watched me play in high school, to my rivalry high school coaches they all want to see me succeed. 

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

• Honestly I think they all are as equal in importance because if you don’t watch film you not going to be able to play at full speed because you don’t know the other teams tendencies so you’ll be second guessing yourself as the same with practice if you’re not actually out there seeing it on the field then you will mess up when its game time. Strength and conditioning is in the mix also because no matter how much film you watch and practice if you aren’t able to be in shape to do any of it physically then that wouldn’t be good.  

What do you worry about, and why? 

• I worry about the future because you never really know what’s in store for you and where you can end up.  

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

• A time I failed was in high school not qualifying to go to a division 1 school. That was hard for me but to just be able to go the junior college route and be able to get my grades right then to be able to qualify to go division 1 was a way for me to overcome my failure. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality? 

• Football IQ. That’s always been one of my strengths just understanding the game and the offense.  

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

• Christian Kirk or Jonathan Taylor 

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

• I would like to go in the police field. 

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

• Room. 

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

• I would choose my family member, they’ve been there for me and have impacted my life, losing one of them would leave me devastated. 

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

• Will Smith in fresh prince of Bel-Air. He always was the funny one or athletic one that seemed like a cool role to me when I was growing up. 

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

• Biggest adversity was going through junior college process. I dealt with it by growing up and getting my grades right and just keep it pushing. I overcame it and it wasn’t easy at all. 

What is your most embarrassing moment? 

• One time in class I went to laugh so hard I farted, and I just couldn’t believe that it happened. 

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career? 

• It is my first carry of my senior year, I took it for 70 yards and it was just so good getting to sideline and everybody was so happy for me. 

What song best describes your work ethic? 

• Ambition by Wale 

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

• Your mind. That’s a different aspect of the game not everybody has so if you can use that as a strength and separate you from everybody then that’s big. 

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

• I would bring Martin Luther King Jr back just so I can thank him and he can see how much times has changed. 

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

• • ZeZe vibes 

Who is the most overrated player in the NFL?  

• Josh Norman 

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why? 

• Respected. No matter where you are not everybody is going to like you so ill rather them just respect me. 

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

• Colin Kaepernick because he was just standing up for something he believed in and that’s got him out here jobless when people out there no he has the talents to play. 

Do you love to win, or hate to lose? 

• I love to win. That’s just rewarding feeling at the end when all the work you put in paid off for the good. 

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

• My whole family as one but my brother has been maybe the biggest influence just seeing him go through so much and knowing what his dreams were and now I’m able to do what he wanted and his excitement that Im going through this journey is a relieving feeling for me.