NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Amani Dennis, DB, Carthage College

Name: Amani Dennis

• Height: 5’11

• Weight: 170

• Position: DB

• College: Carthage College

• Twitter: AmaniDennis29

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

• I live in a mid sized suburb of Chicago named Wheeling. The thing I love most about my city is the community. I live in a very diverse and hardworking community and it helped shaped me to be the hardworking man I am today. 

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

•  Film, Study, Strength and Conditioning. I feel that you can’t play the game of football without being mentally prepared and sharp before you go into battle. Physically you can do certain things like guard who ever is lined up against you or tackle a man, but if it is not your job and is not within the system of the defense then you are doing nothing but hurting the team. Which is why I say film and studying comes first. 

What do you worry about, and why?

•  I only worry about the controllable things in my life. I feel being worried about things that are not in your control can stray you away from any goals or objectives you have set for yourself. If you focus on the things you can control this puts you in the best situation to get the things you want to get done handled in a good manner. 

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

•  A failure in my life that I went through was when I was in high school on the track team. I ran a PR in the 200m sprint but just missed the state qualifying time which was my goal. I didn’t get down and thought selfishly because I still had a relay to run. We ended up running the relay and beating the school record which was pretty fun. So although I didn’t get my goal obtained, I helped our team beat the school record in the 4×2. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

•  My teammates would say that my best quality is my energy and confidence. I am always finding ways to lead and be the guy that people look to when in need. With that, I always have an upbeat energy because I know they are always looking at me to see what I’m doing and how I’m reacting to situations we come across. 

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

• The best player I played against in my college career would be Andrew Kamienski North Central’s receiver. 

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

•  If I wasn’t playing football my career would still be in the field. I would want to coach college football at a big time program and work my way up to the NFL. My dream as a coach would be to be a DB coach for the Miami Dolphins. 

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

•  Room. My room is where I spend my down time so that should be cleaned 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 first. Family is everything to me and I would never put anyone before my family. 

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

•  I would be Leonidas from the movie 300. He was feared and much respected. He fought for his country and his loyalty was with no one else besides his country. Although he died at the end of the movie he died with glory and will always be remembered. 

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

•  My biggest adversity in my life is when my Father left when I was 6. Although he left I am lucky enough that he came back around my 8th-grade year, but when he left my Ma did everything in her power to make sure me and my little brother was good. This made me become the “Dad” of the house at a young age and made me grow up quicker with certain situations in life. 

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• My most embarrassing moment was probably in high school. I played QB and starting as a sophomore I wasn’t taking care of the ball well. I threw 3 interceptions in one game. So that was a tough and an embarrassing time for me. 

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

•  The most memorable play of my college career is when I had a one handed interception while jumping backwards. It was in front of the home crowd which was awesome. We ended up shutting out a pretty good Bethel University team that game 31-0. 

What song best describes your work ethic?

•  Global by Lil Baby. He talks about how he got to where he is today through his hard work and dedication. 

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

•  Coachable. I feel this is most important because anything the coach has to say to you is for the betterment of you as a player and as a man. You need to be able to soak those things in when coach is speaking to you. 

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

•  It would be my family friend I grew up with. Courtland and I grew up together and he played Pop Warner with my little brother Jalen. I would bring him back just so I can see him again, and laugh/joke with him like we always used to. 

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

• If I were to open a dance club I would name it Spades and instead of the “a” it would be a spade symbol. 

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

•  The most underrated player in the NFL I would say is Jalen Ramsey. He is still young and I think he will be one of the top corners to play football in a long time. 

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

• I much rather be respected than liked. I feel any iconic figure or someone who made it big has had a lot of haters or people tell them what they can and can’t do. I believe that respect is earned whereas being liked is given. I feel being respected is more about you as a person, your morals, and your work. I feel if your liked then you are liked because of a certain characteristic.  I would rather be respected because of my morals, my work, and how I go about certain situations than liked because I’m a nice guy.

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

• I feel that you can look at a lot of these situations and see that the thing that derailed some of these careers were mainly all controllable things such as who you surround yourself with, and what you put in your body. I don’t feel for people who lose their career over something that can be controlled because at the end of the day the NFL is your job and passion. Doing anything to mess up your passion shouldn’t be done in the first place. 

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

• I do love to win, and I do hate to lose but if I were to choose one I would say hate to lose because the bitterness that comes with losing drives a hunger out of you that makes you want to work and fix the things that have to be fixed so it doesn’t happen again.

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

• My biggest influence in my life is definitely my mother. She instilled in me that being mentally tough and fighting through adversity is something that you can never go wrong with. Anything I come or have came across in my life I always knew that I could get through it because my Ma been through it all and found ways to get through it. My Ma raising me and Jalen (little brother) like that made us the same exact way when it comes to adverse situations and being mentally tough.