NFL DraftProspect Interviews

2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Maurice Jackson, DL, University of Richmond

Richmond defensive lineman Maurice Jackson recently sat down with NFL Draft Diamonds Jonathan Joyce

Student-Athlete Profile:

  • Maurice Jackson
  • University of Richmond
  • DL
  • 6’2”
  • 265lbs.
  • Hometown: Levittown, PA
  • Twitter: @youngboul_Reece

2018 Accolades & Statistics:

  • 2018 AP FCS All-America Third Team.
  • 2018 All-ECAC First Team Defense.
  • 2018 CAA Football First Team Defense.
  • GP: 10
  • Total Tackles: 46
  • TFL: 15.0
  • Sacks: 10.0
  • FF: 4
  • FR: 1
via @CAAFootball (Twitter)

As an athlete, what is your motivation?

Personally, I am a very self-motivated individual. So what motivates me is my passion for the game and wanting to be the best and go the farthest. To accomplish a childhood dream and make it in the NFL because I love the game is my motivation. Not to mention I want to make everyone back home proud of me. They have been supporting me since day one, and I will be forever grateful.

What defines success for you?

Success for me does not always have to be huge. The little things matter too. If I am a better man and football today than I was yesterday in any way, that is a success to me.

What would your teammates say about the type of teammate you are?

I think my teammates would first say that I am the goofy type, always joking, being loud and playing around, which they would not be wrong about. But then they would say that I am a leader, a teammate that they can depend on, on and off the field. The type of guy that you would want to play with.

via RichmondSpiders (YouTube)

What are some of your personal “rules” that you never break?

I always try to tell myself to never be angry for more than 5 minutes. I am a very happy person, and life is too short to be angry at basically anything for more than 5 minutes. Otherwise, you stay angry and things will only get worse in the end.

Who is the toughest player you’ve competed against during your collegiate career?

Probably Ethan Greenidge from Villanova last year. He is a behemoth of a man with great feet, was not giving me an inch of room to make a good rush move. That was the only game I played healthy in and did not get a sack last year.

Who is the best player in the NFL?

Aaron Donald, easy. There are no other defensive linemen in the league right now that is beating double and triple teams night in and night out to still produce the way he has been. It’s not even close.

https://twitter.com/SpiderFootball/status/1072879535799050240
via @SpiderFootball (Twitter)

What is your team of choice on Madden, why?

The Chicago Bears. To me, they have the best balance of a good offense and defense. Not to mention Khalil Mack is just as unstoppable in Madden as he is in real life.

Failure is inevitable in life. How do you handle situations that don’t go in your favor?

The most logical thing to do is to learn from it. No matter how hard you try, sometimes you’re going to fail at something. So why not learn from it in order to succeed the next time around? It’s like pass rushing. You won’t win every rush, but if you learn from each time you rush, you’re gonna win a few eventually!

Is there a current/former NFL player that you model your game after?

I don’t particularly have one, I try to take things from a bunch of different guys. Khalil Mack, Aaron Donald, Von Miller, J.J. Watt, Demarcus Lawrence, Melvin Ingram, Joey Bosa, Gerald McCoy, Chandler Jones, Justin Houston, and Chris Long. All those guys are people that I watch a lot today. I also watch older guys too, like Reggie White, Julius Peppers, and Lawrence Taylor. I’m a bit of a film junkie, so I watch a lot of film on a lot of players. Watching guys like them has helped me learn how to rush when I was first learning how to do it.

via @S_Insiders (Twitter)

Knowing what you do now, what would you go back and tell yourself as a High-School Freshman?

Keep pushing. You’re going to get to where you want to go as long as you keep pushing to be the hardest worker on the field. Talent and hard work make the best players.

What is your go-to restaurant near campus?

Big Chipotle guy. If given the chance, I would probably eat it like 3 or 4 times a week.

If your life was a book, what would its title be?

“For The Love of The Game.” Football has been a big part of my life since I was 5. It’s how I met most of my closest friends. It was how I gained some of the best coaches and mentors a kid could ask for. It’s something that connected me to my dad and made us even closer. So a book about my life would be filled with stories about my football experiences.

via @CAAFootball (Twitter)

What song or artist do you like but rarely admit to liking?

Paramore. Most people don’t know this, but I definitely have some Paramore on the playlist. That girl can flat out sing!

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, living or deceased, who would it be and why?

LeBron James. I could get tips on how to be a better leader, how to live up to not only the expectations others have of you but the ones you have of yourself as well. Also because I might get to kick it with the Banana Boat gang, so that would be pretty cool too. And I could definitely get down with that Taco Tuesday at the James house!

Forty-years from now, what do you want to be remembered for?

I want to be remembered as the guy that always gave it his all. No matter how goofy he was, he put his all into everything that he did, on and off the field. I always want to be remembered as the guy that was a great friend and mentor to many. I want to help people in any way, especially children and young adults. I’ve been doing that since I was in high school, and I will continue to do so.

In 15 words or less, why should an NFL team invest in you?

I can play multiple positions and can contribute to each one. Hard work is all I know.

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