NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Dante Hibbert, NT, Abilene Christian University

• Name: Dante Hibbert

• Height: 6’2”

• Weight: 315 lbs.

• Position: Nose Tackle/Defensive Tackle

• College: Abilene Christian University

• Twitter: @Big_Gator52

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

•  My hometown is Loganville, Georgia. I love that it’s small so we have a tight-knit community. I like seeing people that I know wherever I go.

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

•  Strength and conditioning, film study, practice. That is the order that you go through to prepare for the season. You can’t perform on the field if your strength and conditioning is not built up and you can’t know what to look for in practice if you do not study film. Practice is where everything comes into play. You use your strength and conditioning along with the study that you have done on film to excel through practice. 

What do you worry about, and why?

•  I worry about my family because my family was broken up when I was 13. I worry every single day about how I am going to get them back together. 

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

•  In high school, I didn’t make the GPA I was supposed to make, so I had to attend Independence Junior College. I was embarrassed but I knew what I had to do to get out. I ended up graduating junior college with a high GPA and also graduating from Abilene Christian University with a higher GPA. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

•  They say being a leader is my best quality. Being a team captain for two years in a row has given me the opportunity to lead on and off the field. I was able to display this quality to my teammates and show them how to lead as well. 

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

•  Michael Gallup is the best player I have played against.

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

•  I would be a teacher/coach or motivational speaker.

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

•  I would clean my room first. 

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

•  I would save my family member. My family means a lot to me and I put them over everything. 

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

•  I would be Spider Man because I like to help people in every way I can. 

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

•  My biggest adversity was being separated from my parents when I was 13. After being on my own for a while, a family adopted me and with all odds against me, I still managed to go to college for free and earn my degree. 

What is your most embarrassing moment?

•  When I was 10 years old, I was trying to do tricks on a scooter to impress girls and I fell in front of them.

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

•  Against Northwestern State, with limited time left, they needed a two-point conversion to win the game. They were on the two-yard line and they ran the ball and I got a TFL to tie the game. 

What song best describes your work ethic?

•  If You Knew What It Took by Future best describes my work ethic. 

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

•  Having major focus on any obstacle that comes at me and having the determination to get through it. 

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

•  My dad, because I want him to be able to watch me play football for the first time. 

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

•  Swamp Land

Who is the most overrated player in the NFL? 

•  I don’t think that there is anybody that is overrated. Each player earned the situation that they’re in.

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

•  Respected, because respect goes a long way. And without respect, being liked would be fake love.

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

•  Adrian Peterson because I feel like his personal life and how he does things with his family should not interfere with his career. 

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 adopted dad has been the biggest influence on my life. Even though he had five kids of his own, he still managed to adopt me and welcome me into his family. He taught me how to be a man in the time that I was at home.