NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Dajon Emory, DE, Arkansas State University

        •       Name: Dajon Emory

        •       Height: 6’3

        •       Weight: 270ibs

        •       Position: Defensive End

        •       College: Arkansas State University

        •       Twitter: @DajonEmory

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

        •       I live in Bridgeville, Delaware which is a very small town, what I love most about it is how close everyone is and how supportive my town is of athletes and how encouraging everyone is, it makes it  feel like I have my whole town behind me.

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

        •        First I would go film study, it’s very important to know your opponent as best as you can. From watching film you can get things like a run pass key, their tendencies, and even get the idea of plays being run which can give you an advantage over your opponent, as well as watching film on yourself to be able to perfect your craft from watching and diagnosing yourself through film. Next, I would say practice, I think that perfecting your craft and constantly working to get better is very important you can never put enough work in and practice is the best place to work on yourself because you have room for error and you can work on yourself and correct yourself so when the game comes it’s second nature to you. And third I would go with strength and conditioning which is a huge part of success by training your body physically working to get bigger, faster, and stronger is key to success. The conditioning part is a big part of it because when playing the game of football today people are looking for guys with a motor that can run all day, and by conditioning along with strength building you will give yourself the ability to do so.

What do you worry about, and why?

        •        What I worry about the most is letting my family down. I am a family orientated person. I love my family with everything I have inside of me, they are proud of me and my accomplishments I have achieved so far, and you often see people in great positions in their career mess it up by doing something to get into trouble or to embarrass themselves, not only them but their families as well, and I do not want to be that guy, so I find ways to not put myself in predicaments to be at a risk of doing that to myself.

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

       •        When coming out of high school I had dreams of being able to play division 1 football but my grades hindered me from being able to go to a division 1 program so I felt like I have failed, I was down on myself until I got a call from Lackawanna college, which is a junior college in Scranton, Pennsylvania and was offered a second chance to come play football and achieve my goal of playing division 1 football after playing two seasons there. I went to Lackawanna college, had a good freshman and sophomore year and was blessed with several division 1 offers on full ride scholarships, I chose to go to Arkansas State University which is was a blessing from God and a dream come true.

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

        •        My teammates say my best quality is my positivity how I always have a positive outlook on things and my positivity towards anybody whether its teammates, coaches, or even the people working in the cafeteria. No matter who it is or the situation I just look at how blessed I am to be where I am. I also love to put smiles on people’s faces.

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

        •        The best player that I have played against in college is Tua Tagovailoa he is a great all around quarterback, with a high football IQ.

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

        •        I would be working towards being an athletic director. I love sports and nothing would be better than to have a job dealing with sports. Also helping younger athletes achieve their athletic goals at the same time would be a big priority as well.

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

        •        Clean your room first. Your room says a lot about who you are. And walking into a clean room and living in a clean environment would help motivate you to keep your car and desk clean as well.

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 one family member. family is very important to me I would do almost anything to make my family proud I love my family with everything I have in me, I couldn’t imagine anything happening to them especially when I had a chance to save them.

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

        •        I would be Denzel Washington in the Equalizer movie. The way he cared about people and went through extreme measures to make sure they we’re safe was admirable also the way he did tings how smart he was about the things he did and the ways he did it was awesome.

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

        •        My biggest adversity in life was probably having to get hip surgery in middle school and not being able to play middle school football. I didn’t play football at all in middle school and it kind of made me question my dream of going to the NFL. I would question why me? and things like that, but by the grace of God and the loving support from me and my family I was able to overcome this and was blessed enough to be where I am today.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

        •        My most embarrassing moment has to be when I was texting and not paying attention and walked into a light pole.

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

        •        My most memorable play of my collegiate career was getting a sack vs the #1 ranked Alabama this past season.

What song best describes your work ethic?

        •        The song that best describes my work ethic is Herculez by Derez Deshon

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 have is being strong minded and having the willingness to never give up. At the next level everything is a business, so there is people getting cut, traded, and even ending their careers all of the time you have to have the mindset to never give up and to keep fighting no matter what happens if you want to succeed at the next level.

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

        •        I would bring back my little bro Tyron Lake or “Betty “Is what we call him. Just to hear his voice one more time, hear his laugh, or even just to hear him talk smack would be love. I miss him every single day. Before every single game and every practice I write his name on my tape and have him on my helmet to know he will always be with me no matter what.

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

        •        I would name it “Club Dodge “in honor of my neighborhood where I’m from and where I grew up.

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL?

        •        The most underrated player in the NFL in my opinion is Demarcus Lawrence, he is easily top three pass rushers in the NFL if not number 1.

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

        •        I would rather be respected. I am big on treat people the way you want to be treated. I am big on respect. I treat everyone with respect, and I expect to be treated with the same respect in return.

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

        •        I feel the most for Ray Rice because you see athletes in similar situations getting second chances like Kareem Hunt. And Ray now realizes he was wrong he has even been forgiven by the female in the situation but not be everyone else. He was a great player who made a big mistake and now realizes how big that mistake was.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

        •        I hate to lose. I am a competitor in everything I do I love to compete so one thing I hate is losing.

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

My family has the biggest influence in my life. The way we love each other and stick by each other’s side no matter what man is a huge blessing. Again, I am huge on family and my family motivate me every day to keep pushing and chasing my dream, but also at the same time let me know that if I happen to fall short they will always love me the same and will be behind me in anything I do no matter what.