2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Caleb Wilson, LB, Waldorf University

• Name: Caleb Wilson
• Height: 6’2
• Weight: 250
• Position: Linebacker
• College: Waldorf University
• Twitter: Curly_Vegeta

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

• I am from Norfolk, Virginia. There are tons of reasons to love living in Norfolk Virginia.  What I love the most about my hometown is the location. Living in Norfolk you are only 18 miles from Virginia Beach oceanfront. Also 17 miles north of Norfolk are some beautiful areas of Hampton and Newport News where Michael Vick and Allen Iverson are from. If you keep going just 30 more miles north you’ll run into Williamsburg which is pretty much a time portal into US history.  The football in Norfolk is amazing. My high school had over 2000 people attend football games before. I love being from a place with tons of talent. The 757 is known for its athletes and getting guys out. It pushes you further knowing that everyone is trying to put on for their city. Being from a place with big legendary names makes you have to work even harder if your dreams are to become a big name one day.   

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

• Film study has always been a key component to my success. I grew up with my step dad being my head coach my whole little league career. He taught me how to breakdown film at a young age. The main things I look at first when watching film from a linebacker point of view is the offensive players alignments and their formations. When you continue to watch film, it is more likely that you pick up certain tendencies and higher your chances of predicting the play before it even happens. 

Strength and Conditioning is very important in all aspects of playing football. A major key you want to accomplish with strength and conditioning is obtaining muscle mass and durability.  You need to be able to withstand contact on the football field, and be able to perform later in the season. Being explosive is another major key in today’s football. Athletes with higher levels of strength have a greater chance of producing more power than athletes who do not strength train. And lastly of course strength training ultimately prevents injury. 

I believe practice is also very important.  In practice, it should allow you to improve on your technique andcreate good cohesion amongst your team.  Every single rep in practice matters. Practice is meant to maximize your ability heading into the game.  If you have a great week of practice it is more likely that you’ll have a great game as well.  How you come out in practice will dictate how you come out in the game. Starting fast in practice is very important if your goal is to start fast in the game. 

What do you worry about, and why?

• I worry about being able to provide for my family. Even when I do provide I still worry that one day adversity can hit and I won’t be able. That’s why I continue to grind so hard, and try my hardest to make the best decisions in life possible, and do all the right things consistently. I want to be able to provide in ways most could never imagine.  I have a five-year-old son who looks up to me on the daily. I don’t ever want to let him down.  I strive to put myself in a position to be able to give him a life that I didn’t have. So, I worry until I’m able to give him the life that I never had growing up. 

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

• Growing up school was never my strong point. I had to go to summer school almost every year to move onto the next grade. I had many behavior issues that I eventually grew out of completely. In junior high I got kicked out of school twice and went too two different alternative schools. So, I didn’t even get to finish middle school at my home public school.  I went straight to high school from alternative schools.  Once I entered high school I changed completely and got my grades up better than I ever did. I kept my grades up enough to be able to play football all throughout high school which many in my town thought that would be the only thing to hold me back.  I eventually go onto junior college and earn an Associate’s Degree and earned a division 1 scholarship. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• My teammates say that my best quality is leadership on and off the field. I’m always hitting guys up to watch film and put extra work in. Every time it was needed for a leader to step up I always did. When my team loses I don’t mind putting the blame on myself. Because that’s what real leaders do. 

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

• I’ve played against many great players but I think the best player that I’ve played against in college is Josh Allen is now the quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. 

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

 • I want to be a guidance counselor and if possible coach high school football as well. I’d love to start a business on the side while doing that as well.

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

• The first thing I would clean out of those three Is my room.  I believe if you start the day off making your bed and cleaning your room it can lead to having a good day. 

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

• I’d pick my family member. During a disaster, you surely want to be around people that you can trust. If you save some strangers you do not know what you could get yourself into with them but with your family member you most likely do.

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

• My nickname is actually my favorite character which isVegeta.  He is a character from Dragon Ball Z.  He is one of the strongest characters physically and mentally but he faces tons of adversity and always finds a way to get back up and push to further limits. I believe in football there is no limit to the amount of success you can have. 

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

• My biggest adversity was losing my mother in 2009.  She was a single mom to me and my two siblings. Me and my siblings got put in rough spot when she passed away.  It came with moving a location that I lived in my whole life and leaving all the memories in the past. I had to be there for my baby sister and didn’t really have time to grief because I had to show her how strong I was and still am to this day. Football was the biggest key to me overcoming my mother’s death.  She came to every single game and practice my whole life. So, football has always been a way to deal with her death. Football makes me feel like she’s watching over me still. 

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• My most embarrassing moment was playing peewee baseball and I pooped my pants at first base.  I thought maybe with two outs that we would get another and I’ll be able to go take care of my accident but of course I got the ball thrown at me and I couldn’t move because my pants were filled with poop, and it went down my leg and everyone that was there for sure noticed and I’ll never forget the embarrassment I felt. 

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

• The most memorable play of my collegiate career is being down 17-7 in the 3^rd quarter and getting a much needed one handed interception to change the momentum of the game and we ended up winning the game which all started from my interception.  Which eventually led to winning the conference.

What song best describes your work ethic?

• The song that best describes my work ethic is Eye of the tiger. Once I’m in grind mode I have straight tunnel vision until I accomplish the goals I set for myself. 

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

• My mental capacity. My college football career has been a big, long roller coaster but I have had tons of success and lots of winning. Everything I’ve been through in my football career I believe is leading me to succeeding very quick and early at the next level. 

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

• I’d bring back MLK. I’d love for him to see how far this world have come since the civil rights movement. We all know this world is far from perfect but defiantly made tons of progress and I give tons of credit to MLK. I’d love to hear any more ideas of ways we can improve this world and country.  And how he feels about the progress we have made since his death. 

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

• Sweet feet

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL?

 • Joe Flacco

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

• I would rather be liked at first. I believe getting respected can just mean that you have money or some type of power. I believe that being liked by people means that you are good person and you have good possibly have personality traits such as honesty, kind, and caring. Once someone likes me than I have a chance to earn their respect.  I believe respect is earned through time. 

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

• Michael Vick because he was In the peak of his career and was out so long he never got the chance to accomplish everything he might have. 

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

•  I hate to lose. I do everything in my power to win so I don’t lose. When you put in hard work day in and day out the last outcome that you want is to lose.  

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

• The biggest influence on my life is my son Jace.  Without my son being born I do not believe I would be in the position I am in today.  Once he was born it opened my eyes completely on what’s important and what’s not important in my life. And what’s important is me providing and being there for my kid and showing him the ways of life. Every time I feel down I just think of my son and how much I want to give him the life i never had and that fuel allows me to continue to keep pushing forward through anything.