NFL DraftProspect Interviews

NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Charbel Dabire, DL, Wagner College

Charbel Dabire the defensive lineman from Wagner College recently sat down with NFL Draft Diamond owner Damond Talbot

• Name: Charbel Dabire

        •       Height: 6’0

        •       Weight: 300

        •       Position: DL

        •       College: Wagner College 

        •       Twitter: @charbswagg

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

        •        My home country is called Burkina Faso, in West Africa, I have not lived there for long before I departed, but the one thing I love about it is the people. The people in my hometown are very friendly and always welcome you with open arms no matter where you are from, and though I have not lived there long, when I go back I feel so welcomed and feel right at home.

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

        •        Practice, Film Study, and Strength and Conditioning. I believe this is the order these should come in because I believe that practice is the most important, to be able to practice what you’re going to do on game day, at the speed you are going to do it at helps me understand what I have to do and how I am going to do it. Film study I believe is also very important because it not only helps you correct yourself if your watching yourself but it also helps you see the big picture and gives you the “why” you’re doing what you’re doing, it also helps you plan and prepare for your opponents and see what’s to come. Finally, I put strength and conditioning last because it is still a very important aspect but I believe at a certain level of football you are already strong but it’s important to do this to maintain your athletic abilities and to help you execute your assignment when you’re given the chance to step up.

What do you worry about, and why?

        •        The thing that I worry about the most is my future, I think about my future everyday, usually not in a negative way, I just think of my choices and how it would impact my future. Being from West Africa and coming all the way out here is already a tremendous experience by itself, but I think about what my parents went through to get my family here and the strides they made fighting obstacles to provide a great life for my family and I, and now all I do, I do it knowing I can’t take anything for granted and every choices I make it are while thinking of how this will impact my future and my families future for the better.

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

        •        In high school, when I started playing football, I had to be the punter, I had never punted before but since I had a strong leg I was the kicker and punter. When I started out I thought i could just use power and no technique and still get it right but I realized I needed technique after several horrible punts. I started studying other punters college and professional, and just kept trying to imitate them and there technique. I kept going out and attempting punts until I got a couple good ones. Then when I started to get the flow of it and I would keep going out and setting a goal to hit,, once I hit my goal I would set another one and so on until I was consistently hitting 40-60 yard punts.

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

        •        From my peers I am known to be very resilient and bring a lot of “Juice” to everything I do. I am full of energy when  I get to play or practice football and I try to not let much things change my attitude I love the game of football and every time I get to play it I believe that it is a gift and so I am always happy receiving that gift.

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

        •        Cody Conway, LT from Syracuse, because it was one of my first times playing D-end and he really gave me a “run for my money” and just made me realize what I have to work on. He was also a huge guy and a very tough opponent that challenged me every time I was in front of him, and I love a challenge because that’s the only way you get better.

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

        •    If I did not play football I believe I would be in the medical field. I have always been intrigued and fascinated with the sciences and healing, and also I look up to my father a lot who is a doctor. Because of my passion for sports I would like to still be involved with sports and knowing the impact that sports have on athlete’s bodies,  I would like to be a professional sports team doctor.

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

        •  Room, desk, car. I believe I have to clean my room first because that is my living area, it’s where I sleep it’s the first thing I see when I wake up so it has to be the most important. My desk because that where i study and work and in a way it is a part of my room and if I clean my room I have to clean my desk. Also, if my desk is messy I could not get any work done. My car last, first because I don’t have a car, but also because I believe that my room and workspace is more important, but my car is important because that is what most people will see and keeping it clean would reflect a clean image of me, and also because it is what I use for transportation I need to keep tidy.

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

        •        I would have to save my one family member, because to me the one one family member is worth all the strangers lives, it’s a life that I cherish, and I have a bond with my family member that means a tremendous amount.

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

        •        I would be Thor, because he is the God of lightning and a pretty boy and he has an accent. But mostly because I could be able to lift the hammer!

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

        •        When I was in my senior year of high school I got a major heat stroke and had to be hospitalized for a couple months, I couldn’t walk for a while and I was told I would have to stop playing football. Made a lot of prayers to the lord and I had a lot of support from my family and thanks to a great sports doctor I was put on a never before attempted intense program to get me back to playing, I had to be monitored and trained every day progressively working my way back to being allowed to play. I missed half of my senior season and lost all my offers and interest from schools. But I was fortunate enough to be able to play the last five games of my season and went to New Mexico Military Institute and got an offer from Wagner College. 

What is your most embarrassing moment?

        •        My most embarrassing moment happened this year (2019) during our homecoming. We got blown out by Sacred heart and I had won Homecoming King, so I had to stand there and take pictures right after the game as the opposing team was celebrating in our end zone.

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career

What song best describes your work ethic?

        •        Remember the name by Fort Minor I think best describes my work ethic because it talks about what I put in to my work. I put all of myself in my work and I am very focused in my work, and I believe this is what the song embodies 

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

        •        The most important trait to help anyone succeed at the next level I believe is being coachable, being able to take criticism and adapt your game from there; understanding that you don’t know everything and being able to learn not only from your coaches but also the players around you.

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

        •        If I could bring anyone back from the dead for one day, I would bring back my uncle who died of lung cancer very abruptly after finding out he had it. A very healthy and energetic man full of joy and love. Left after Africa to have a better life. Went from cleaning floors at restaurants to owning his own one and always striving to do better. I was like to see him one more time just because I was not able to say goodbye but he will forever be in my mind and my heart forever.

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

        •        Charbel’s Boom Boom Room because I am a big fan of Eddy Murphy, and also because that’s a great name!

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

        •        I think the most underrated player in the NFL is Michael Brockers on the LA Rams, not only because I love the Rams defense but also because he’s one of the big run stoppers on the team, and kind of hidden due to the amount of talent there is on the Rams Defensive lines

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

        •        I would rather be respected then liked because being liked just means to play to people’s liking and that you just try to please everyone. Being respected means that people know that you stand for something and that you have values that you will not break to be liked. Also to be respected sometimes you have to make decisions that people will not always like, and that’s why to be respected you cannot always be liked.

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

        •        My high school quarterback Deondre Francois was kicked out of Florida State because a female friend lied about him assaulting her and FSU will not be taking him back.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

        •        I hate to lose 100x more than I like to win.

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

        •       My father has had the biggest influence on my life, I’ve seen him working day in and day out and taking care of all his family members. He worked hard all his life and gave my family and I the life we have now. He has always been a hard worker and he has always tried to instill that work in my siblings and I.

Damond Talbot

NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com

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