2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: LaDarian McFarland, LB, UTSA

• Name:LaDarian McFarland 
• Height: 6’3 
• Weight: 215
• Position: LB/S
• School: UTSA 
• Twitter: @Chalkup7

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

• I’m from San Antonio,Tx born & raised I really feel like there’s no place like it as it’s the city that made me. The city is rich in its culture & a huge tourist attraction which allows me to meet people from many different places from all over the world.

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

• If I had to put the three in an order of which I thought was most important to least, I would most definitely have to consider practice the most important in my opinion would be practice because you have to consistently work on your craft to be the best version of yourself & the only way to do that is practice. Second I would put film study because you have to be able to key in on your own mistakes & habits or even your opponents to get a better advantage for yourself. Last I would consider strength & conditioning not to say that it isn’t important but I just can’t put it above anything else in terms of importance.

What do you worry about, and why?

• The only thing I worry about is just not being the best version of myself. I know I’m at a young age & there’s plenty of the world for me to see & I want to be able to experience all this world has to offer. 

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

• I can recall to my junior year of high school where I was one of the top hurdlers in the city. During my Area meet I fell on a hurdle in the beginning of the race & ended up coming in last place. But I knew that wasn’t the end for me I had another year left to prove to myself that I can accomplish my goals so instead of crying about I just went back to work & ended up having my best year ever my Senior year & became a State finalist in the 300m hurdles. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• One thing they consider to be my best quality is me leading by example whether that be on the field or off.

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

• The best player I’ve played against over the course of my collegiate career would have to be Charlie Brewer from Baylor.

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

• If couldn’t play football as a career I would love to be a personal trainer. I just love the life athletics & would love to be apart of other people’s journeys & lives as they chase their dreams.

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

• In order I would clean my room first then the desk & lastly I would clean my car.

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

• In a disaster of any of nature I would have to save my family member because my family is what matters most to me.

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

• The one television character I would want to be is Goku from Dragon Ball Z. In the show he is the unsung hero that has saved the world plenty of times. One thing I admire most about him is that he is constantly working on his craft to better himself, he never gets too high or too low.

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

• My biggest adversity In life would have to be going Juco. After spending my first 2yrs of college at a D1 it was definitely a life changing experience that I will never forget. I overcame it by just taking it one day at a time keeping my faith in God & working as hard as I could to get out of there.

https://twitter.com/ChalkUp7/status/1214631929213001728

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• My most embarrassing moment came when I was 17 & I failed my first attempt at my drivers test. But I came back about a month later & I passed my test. 

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

• My most memorable collegiate moment came from my Redshirt sophomore year when I got my first pick 6. I say that because i remember telling my teammate before it happened if they came out in that formation & ran that play again that I was going to jump it. Soon enough they tried it again & I took it to the end zone.

What song best describes your work ethic?

• The song I say best describes my work ethic is Different Cloth by Boosie. In the song he talks about being different from the rest as if he’s one of a kind & relate to that because I feel as if my work ethic is different I’m always challenging myself & trying to reach the next level. 

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 I have is my work ethic i know no matter what I do in life I will succeed because of it. I’m always striving to be the best I can be in everything I do. 

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 have to be my great grandmother, just simply because times were much simpler & better when she was around.

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

• Bird village 

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

• The most underrated player in the NFL is Lamar Jackson 

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

• I rather be respected because respect goes a long way. That respect that people have for you is unmatched & goes far beyond being liked be people. 

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

• Antonio Brown simply because he’s in the prime of his career he should be going down as one of the best to ever play the game.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

• I love to win that feeling of winning is unmatched. Even when I win I don’t get satisfied it just makes me want to go harder. 

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

• The biggest influence in my life is my mother. She is the reason for everything I do. I watched my mother take care of three kids on her own with no help from anyone. I’ve never met or seen anybody work as hard as she did. She’s been my biggest motivation over the years. No matter what I do in life as long as I made her proud then I’ve done my job.