NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Gregory Lewis III, RB, St. Cloud State University

Name: Gregory Lewis III

Height:  5’7

Weight: 200 lbs

Position: RB/KR

College: St. Cloud State University

Twitter: Sauceman_based

Tellus about your hometown, and what you love most about it?

• I’m from Milwaukee, Wisconsin which is acity that has a population of over a million people. It is one of the biggestcities in the world, so I would definitely consider myself to be a city kid. Whenit comes to what I love about my city, I would have to note two things. Thefirst thing would be the support system that I am surrounded by when I am home.The second thing would be my enjoyment in the familiarity of my favoriteworkout locations, restaurants, and hangout spots.    

Listthese three in order of importance and why: Film Study, Strength andConditioning and Practice?

• When it comes to listing the three thingslisted above in order, it comes to my mind in a strategic manner. First, Iwould list strength and conditioning. This is first, because in my mind beforeyou prepare mentality with film study and then try performing the techniquesthat were studied, that first it is more important to be in the proper physicalcapacity. Next, I would list film study. Film study is second, because I feelthat after you are at a legitimate place physically that it is next mostimportant to prepare your mind for what you plan to do. This leads us to thelast thing that I would list, which is practice. I feel that all three thingshave their equal importance, but practice is last because I feel that the othertwo things are more important prior to practice so that when you are practicingyou can get the most out of every rep.

Whatdo you worry about, and why?

• Worrying is something that I try to pridemyself on not doing. In most cases I feel that worrying often creates problemsthat are nonexistent. If there is one thing that is challenging for me not toworry about it would be that fact that at times when I feel as if I am alreadypushing myself to my limits, I have the tendency to question whether or not Ihave done enough. I think this is a challenge for me, because I know that howmuch work is put in can dictate whether or not you achieve your goals.

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

• A time where I felt like I failed atsomething happened to be one of the most challenging times in my life. Duringmy Sophomore year of college, I was at a University that I believed wasn’t themost ideal fit for me. The fact that I was at the time in my Redshirt freshmanseason and unable to transfer without sitting out from competition for a fullyear, I decided to transfer from my current division two university down to theNJCAA level. This was extremely challenging for me, but with the support of myfamily, my confidence in myself, and my faith was able to overcome thisdifficult time and find a home at St. Cloud State University.

Whatdo your teammates say is your best quality?

• I think my teammates would say that my beastquality would be that I am the ultimate team player. By this I mean that theywould say this quality consists of being the type of teammate or person that iswilling to sacrifice for benefit or well-being of others. 

Whois the best player you have ever played against in college?

• The best player that I ever played againstwas actually one of my teammates during my first two years of college. He wasan All-American inside linebacker whose name is Alex Wahl.

Whatwould your career be if you couldn’t play football? 

• I am a business management major, and if mycareer wasn’t football I don’t think I can exactly explain what my dream jobwould be form there. There has been a number of things that have crossed mymind that don’t pertain to my major that interest me like construction, orjoining the police, or even opening my own store that does shoe customization.All in all I think that I will have many different careers if I couldn’t playfootball due to my versatile nature.

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

• The first thing I would clean would be myroom just because it makes sense to clean my room before I get to my car or drivemy car to reach my desk.

Ifthere was a disaster and you could either save three strangers or one familymember, which would you choose and why?

• If I were in this situation I think I wouldtry to save them all. The reason I would try to save them all is because I feelthat if I can save 3 people, then I would be able to save four people. If Ican’t save them all then we all fail to survive.

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

• If I could be any character I would be Gokufrom the tv series known as Dragon Ball Z. The reason I would be Goku is, because I feel that his personality iscomparable to mine. Goku is a normally carefree and cheerful when at ease andis the mightiest warrior of his planet but is quickly serious and strategicminded when in battle. The carefree and cheerful nature of Goku while at easeis me off of the field, while his battle form is me on the field. 

Tellme about your biggest adversity in life and how you’ve dealt with or overcomeit?

• The biggest adversity in life at this pointwould be in 2016-2017, during my one year of junior college. This is the yearthat I grew the most as a man. It was an extremely humbling experience thatinvolved many nights with me wondering where I would end up and what wouldhappen. The way that I got through this extremely tough experience was throughfaith and my very well-built support system. With those two things I was ableto successfully complete that year with an NJCAA MCAC Conference Championship(11-0), and my Associate Degree.   

Whatis your most embarrassing moment?

• My most embarrassing moment was in middleschool, during a time where I thought I was more of a basketball player than afootball player. During a playoff game, I had made a steal and I was on a fastbreak layup. There was no one in my sights and I happened to bounce the ballright off the backboard missing the layup. I still have friends that don’t letme live that down to this day. 

Whatwas the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

• I would say my most memorable collegiateplay came during my senior season against Northern State University. This wasgame was a bit of a rivalry and Northern State had beaten us four out of thepast 5 years. It was third and about four with about thirty-six seconds left toplay. We were up 19-16. Coach called stretch left. The defense jumped so ourcenter snapped the ball to get a free play. It was a bit of a miscue so as Ipressed for the sideline on the left side I had noticed that everythingcollapsed so I reversed field for a thirty-five plus yard gain and stayed inbounds to force a win over a team that we had struggled to beat.  

Whatsong best describes your work ethic?

• I would say Places You’ll Go by Majornine isa song that best describes my work ethic.

Whatis the most important trait you can have (Physical or Non-Physical) to help yousucceed at the next level? 

• The most important thing, I think I can haveto help myself succeed at the next level would be my resilience. Throughout mylife I have experienced hardships that could have broken my spirits. With myresilience I have been able to quickly bounce back from hardships and I thinkthis would be key for me at the next level.

Ifyou could bring one person back from the dead for one day, who would it be andwhy?

• If I could bring back one person from thedead it would be my grandfather. Before my grandfather passed away I rememberhow strong of a bond we had. He is for sure someone I would have enjoyedbuilding a greater bond with and there’s a lot wisdom he had left to give me. I’mnamed after him and my father making me Gregory Lewis III, therefore I wouldhave also enjoyed learning a little more from him about where our family comesfrom.

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

• If I were to open a dance club I would nameit “The Sauce Club”.

Whois the most overrated player in the NFL? 

• I wouldn’t say that any player in the NFL isoverrated. I actually don’t like to pay much attention to player rankingsbecause I believe that at the next level every player is capable of bringingsomething to the table.

Wouldyou rather be liked or respected, and why?

• I would rather be respected opposed to beingliked. The reason I say this is because chances are if I’m respected, then Imay be liked at the same time. With that being said I do understand that whenit comes to work its ok if not everyone likes you, but more important to berespected by the individuals whom you work with. I find it easier to work withan individual that disliked but respected opposed to being liked and notrespected.

Whatplayer who had his career derailed by off-field issues do you feel for the mostand why?

• Ray Rice is a player that I feel for themost that had his career derailed by off-field issues. The reason that I choseRay Rice is because before his departure from the NFL, he was a back whom Iidolized and compared my game to. He was a back that gave me hope based on mysize and running style. I was upset when Ray’s situation went viral and couldn’tseem to put together how Ray could have thrown away everything he’saccomplished and done for backs like myself by doing something sosenseless. 

Doyou love to win, or hate to lose?

• I would say that I hate to lose, becausethat means that either myself or the team that I’m a part of failed to put inthe necessary time and effort during the process leading up to competition. Ifthis process is taken seriously, losing wouldn’t be an option.

Whohas been the biggest influence on your life and explain why?

• The biggest influence in my life would be myfather. The reason I would say my father is my biggest influence is becausefrom an extremely early age I was able to see what hard work was growing upthrough him. My father is responsible for my love of the game of football, andalso my work ethic in matters that consist of on and off the field activities.He is also responsible for getting me in tact with my faith that’s allowed meto get through some of the toughest situations I’ve faced throughout mylifetime. My father is my hero.