2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Jeff Person, DT, North Carolina Wesleyan College

• Name: Jeff Person
• Height: 5’11
• Weight: 270
• Position: NG
• College: North Carolina Wesleyan College

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

•  My hometown is Castalia, NC. What I love about my hometown is it is very small and family oriented. It’s the country and the scenery is amazing.

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

• Film study, strength & conditioning, and practice. I believe this order is important because you must know what to practice for and you must be physically fit to practice.

What do you worry about, and why?

• Something I worry about is how to make it from day to day.

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

• An example of me failing is when I was little, I could never make the pee wee football team because I was not physically fit. I reacted by growing up and getting my act together. I became more fit and changed my attitude. And eventually I made the team.

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• My teammates refer to my best quality as toughness and drive.

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

• The best player I played against in college was the Mount Union Runner back.

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

• If I could not play football, I would choose a career in truck driving.

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

• Out of the three, I would clean my car first.

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

• If there was a disaster and I could only choose between three strangers and a family member, I would choose the three strangers because my own family members would not help me if tables were turned.

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

• If I could be any television character, I would be Will Smith because he’s funny.

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

• My biggest adversity in life was getting recruited for college football because my coaches told me I would never be anything and they did not help recruit me. I went out and did it myself that’s how I overcame it.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• My most embarrassing moment is farting, but it really turned out to be poop.

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

• The most memorable play of my collegiate career was dropping back in coverage as a D-lineman and drilling the quarterback when he stepped out of pocket.

What song best describes your work ethic?

• The best song that describes my work ethic is clear eyes, full heart by T. Powell.

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

• The most important you can have to help succeed at the next level is being a student of the game.

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, it would be my grandpa because he always told me, “Don’t think of handouts, don’t ask for handouts, go take it.” He was a very wise man.

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, “Dance Works.”

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

• The most underrated player in the NFL is running back Leveon Bell.

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

• I would rather be respected than liked because if you’re respected than that means you’re doing something right and if you’re just liked that means people are just following the hype.

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

• A player that had his career derailed from him that I feel for the most is Antonio Brown because of his attitude he is a locker room cancer and is not coachable.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

• I hate to lose.

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

• My mom has been the biggest influencer in my life because she’s always been a go-getter. When things get tough, she always taught me to go harder because tough people last and tough situations don’t.