2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Nick Pritchard, P, University of Delaware

• •Name: Nicolas “Nick” Pritchard 
• •Height: 5’10
• •Weight: 210
• •Position: Punter
• •College: University of Delaware
• •Twitter: @NickPritchard19

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

• my hometown was very small which made it a tight-knit community. From kindergarten through 12th grade I went attended school with 90% of the same people which allowed me to create relationships for the rest o my life.

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

• practice, strength and conditioning, film study. For my position, it is all about reposition and creating muscle memory in order to be able to perform out on the field. Although film study is still very important for a punter, I believe it is the least important to my position because you do not teach yourself the muscle memory needed to perform. 

What do you worry about, and why?

• I worry the most about the health and safety of my family and close friends because they are the people I can always lean on when I am in trouble. 

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

• the failure that most resonates with me is after the 2015 season when I attended the University of Maryland and I did not have a great season and was replaced by an incoming 27-year-old Australian punter. I believed this to be a failure because I did not perform the way I wanted to on the field and was replaced. I overcame this failure by continuing to work hard on my craft and work on my strength in order to become a better punter. After being given the opportunity to transfer to the University of Delaware I knew that I would not be given another chance to perform and I knew that I had taken full advantage of this opportunity. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• I bring a lot of enjoyment to the practice and lifts while still staying focused on the task at hand. Teammates look to me to lighten the mood when things are down. 

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

• Jabrill Pepper

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

• If I was not able to play football I would continue to stay with the game and try to coach football at the collegiate level because I love the game and have so much passion for it. 

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

• I would clean my desk first because without my desk being clean I would not be able to get my schoolwork done as without schoolwork being finished I would not be able to play football in the first place. 

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 member because I believe that blood is thicker than water because I have an emotional attachment to that family member. However, the morally right thing to do would be to save more people but in the heat of the moment, the emotional connection between me and my family would cause me to save my family first. 

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

• I would be Jason Bourne because he is one of the most badass characters in all of television with his intelligence and physical strength to be able to think and maneuver his way out of any trouble he might find himself in. 

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

• The biggest adversity I overcame in my life was being benched for the 2016 season by DJ Durbin for a 27-year-old Australian punter. I overcame this adversity by keeping my head down and continuing to work hard until another opportunity arose when I entered the transfer portal and the University Of Delaware came calling giving me another opportunity to continue my academic and athletic career. 

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• Hitting an 11-yard punt against Michigan State in 2015 and releasing my anger on the bench. 

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

• The most memorable play of my collegiate career was not a play of mine but was of my teammates last year against the University of New Hampshire when Nasir Adderley had one of the most insane kickoffs returns of the 2018 season

What song best describes your work ethic?

• “Working Man” -Rush

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 that I possess to help me succeed at the next level is having a short memory. Having a short memory is essential as a punter because if I end up having a bad punt in a game is important for me and the team that I forgot about it as soon as possible in order to hit my best punt the next time I go out there on the field. 

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

• If I could bring back one person from the dead for day it would my grandmother who passed when I was in 7th grade so I could show her what I have grown up to be and make sure that she is proud of what I have become. 

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

• Frank and Nikko’s – my good friend from college is named Frank and he is a DJ so I would want to open it up together. 

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

• Yannick Ngakoue

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

• respected because respect is earned and being liked is not really earned it is just given by people who gravitate towards you. 

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

• Johnny Manziel because he had some much talent that he could have been a force in the NFL but since he gained so much fame too fast it went straight to his head and was not able to focus on what his profession was which was football.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

• I feel that I equally have both inside of me. 

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

• The biggest influence on my life has been my dad because he has been there to support me in everything that I do every step of the way. He has supported every athletic decision I have made from deciding to quit playing soccer and pursue football to supporting my decision to transfer from his Alma Mater to pursue my dream of continuing to play football at a smaller University Of Delaware.