2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Sean Dykes, TE, University of Memphis
Student-Athlete Profile:
- Sean Dykes
- University of Memphis
- TE
- 6’2”
- 230lbs.
- Hometown: Houston, TX
- Twitter: @SnagDykes5
2018 Statistics:
- GP: 13
- Receptions: 13
- Receiving Yards: 196
- YPR: 15.08
- TDs: 2
Your family has a background in football at both the collegiate and NFL level. What have you learned most about the game from your father Billy (Oklahoma 1988-1992) and Uncle Hart Lee (Oklahoma State 1985-1988, New England Patriots 1989-1992)?
My dad has been teaching me the fundamentals of the game and what it takes to make it where I want to be since I was 4. He used to take me to the park in our neighborhood and I would run routes and receive handoffs from him. At the time I had not played a single down on any level so I worked on all offensive positions. Watching numerous college and NFL games with him over the years I have developed my game into the player I am today. Most importantly he showed me as a person that hard work never goes unnoticed, whatever I put my mind too I can do it, and never quit. As I got older and started playing wide receiver I began working out with my uncle in middle school and early high school years on wide receiver specific fundamentals and the art of route running.
As an athlete, what is your motivation?
My motivation is my mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 7 years old and passed away when I was going into my freshman year of high school. I saw her fight the disease for a large amount of my childhood and it taught me to fight through adversity and overcome when times get hard. Too this day when situations get tough I think about her and know she’s watching so I want to make her proud. I know she would have a fit if I let a little adversity stop me from achieving my ultimate goal on and off the field.
What defines success for you?
To me success is when you set out to do something and you accomplish it. Always having a winner mentality and killer instinct. If you really want something in life you will work for it and do whatever it takes to make sure the job gets done.
What would your teammates say about the type of teammate you are?
My teammates would say I’m dependable and reliable on and off the field. I’m a smart player with great athleticism who can be counted on when the game is on the line. At Memphis, my teammates are like family and we look at each other as brothers. We don’t care who’s getting the touches we just want to win and whatever coach tells us we try to do it to the best of our abilities, I feel like my teammates would say I’ve bought in and sacrificed for the better of the team.
What are some of your personal “rules” that you never break?
Sometimes with everything I’ve been through I feel like I was built for adversity and nothing can phase me. So for me, it’s never let anyone tell me I can’t do something and to never quit. No matter how bad something is going for me I know I will eventually always climb myself out of the hole or slump I’m in.
Who is the toughest player you’ve competed against during your collegiate career?
Ed Oliver.
Who is the best player in the NFL?
Tom Brady.
What is your team of choice on Madden, why?
Texans. Since I’m from Houston I feel like for so many years we have been in the middle of the pack. Coming off the great season we had last year it just feels good to play with my hometown team on the game and be competitive. Watson to Hopkins is unstoppable in real life and on the game and we’ve always had a solid defense led by J.J. Watt.
Failure is inevitable in life. How do you handle situations that don’t go in your favor?
A lot of things haven’t gone my way in my life but I can say I’ve overcome all of the adversity so too me it would just be another setback that people think will take me out but I end up overcoming. When something bad happens I immediately start preparing for the next opportunity. It’s ok to fail but for me, it’s how do you respond once you get up do you fold your tent or come back even harder.
Is there a current/former NFL player that you model your game after?
It’s hard to choose between Delanie Walker being the proven vet and Pro-Bowler and Evan Engram the young talented player I once looked up to at Ole Miss and played against when I was a freshman at Memphis. I feel like I can do what they do in the NFL creating problems for defenses coming out the backfield, on the ball with more weight, at any WR position with my speed and catching ability.
Knowing what you do now, what would you go back and tell yourself as a High-School Freshman?
I never understood what my coaches meant when they said I’m competing with people from literally all around the country. It was easy at my school to just try to be the best there or in the Houston area because of all the talent in the area. As a high school freshman I would’ve told myself that eventually the best of the best in the country are all going to meet up one day and I have to match up with them not just kids from the Houston area. I did get that message later on in my high school career.
What is your go-to restaurant near campus?
Wing Stop. It’s the only place that I ate all the time at home that tastes the exact same when I came to Memphis other than that I would say I had to get a whole new diet.
If your life was a book, what would its title be?
“The Next Chapter.”
What song or artist do you like but rarely admit to liking?
Drake.
If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, living or deceased, who would it be and why?
Kobe Bryant because he played basketball how I want to play football. He was dominant, he has a killer instinct most don’t have, and he always found a way to win. His love for the game and will to win are things I think so highly of him for and I feel I resemble in my game. My whole life I’ve been a winner and when someone has to make a play with limited time left some people just pray the ball doesn’t come their way I want and live for those moments just like Kobe.
Forty-years from now, what do you want to be remembered for?
I want to be remembered as a good teammate who did his job, who was coachable and treated people the way he wanted to be treated, ultimately for my character. The plays I made when it most mattered whether it was a block to spring the game’s winning touchdown or the catch people talk about for a long time. I know I’ll always be prepared when that moment comes because of how we practice in Memphis. Not only I but all my teammates practice with just as much or more intensity as the game. It’s demanded under Coach Norvell or you won’t play that’s something that I will hang on to for the rest of my career.
In 15 words or less, why should an NFL team invest in you?
The NFL is full of talented athletes with high character. I fit that mold.
