2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Drake Sutton, LS, Eastern Michigan University

• Name: Drake Sutton
• Height: 5’ 11”
• Weight: 235 lbs.
• Position: Long snapper
• College: Eastern Michigan University
• Twitter: @fallsls17

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

• My hometown is Menomonee Falls Wisconsin, it’s a small town 45 min north east of Milwaukee, and the thing I love most about it is how caring and polite everyone is.  Everyone in the town looks out for one another and we know a good amount of people, so they keep you on track.

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

• Although all three are very important to make a complete football player I think Film Study is the most important because it shows you exactly what to improve on moving forward, as the famous saying goes “film don’t lie” so it is the best teacher there is. The close second would have to be Practice. It’s almost self-explanatory, how are you going to get better if you never go out and practice your craft. It won’t happen so you need that time to make the mistakes and try and take what was wrong in the film session and correct it in a game like setting (practice). I think last but certainly not least is the Strength and Conditioning aspect. Although its awesome to bench a lot and squat the moon if you aren’t able to apply that to the field it’s useless. 

What do you worry about, and why?

•  I try and worry as less as possible to try and keep a level head as well as allow me to keep moving forward and not dwelling in the past of what just happened or look too far ahead in the future. I like to follow the saying “Yesterday is history and tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift and that is why it’s called the present”. Although I am not batting 1000 the few things I do worry about is keeping my family proud of what I do and how I act and never letting my dreams die because I didn’t work hard enough or didn’t do what was necessary to achieve them.

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

• In high school I was invited to the national scholarship camp run by Kohl’s kicking and snapping. I did well throughout the day and qualified to compete for the final spot in the under armor all American game. It was between me and another snapper to go and he ended up beating me on the last snap.  I was mad for a second but I was happy for him that he got to experience such a cool opportunity,  but when I got home that day me and my dad spent another hour snapping in my back yard working on things I did wrong just hours before. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• I would assume it’s my work ethic and my leadership. I always strive to be the first one in the room and the last to leave it, and to never do it alone always bringing others along to make everyone better not just myself.

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

• best player I’ve played against was Kentucky’s WR/QB Lynn Bowden Jr. He is one of the fastest guys I’ve ever seen and could stop on a dime. Insane athletic ability!

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

• My career would be something in the athletic realm of training, like strength coach, or athletic trainer, something along those lines to help younger athletes reach their goals and to help older athletes reach new heights.

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

• Whatever is the dirtiest, or whatever I see first. But in all reality if I start to clean one, I’ll end up cleaning them all.

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

• If I could only choose one id say the family member, but I would save them and then go back to save whoever else I could 

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

• Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs from NCIS, ever since I was little I have been drawn to the military personnel and have had the utmost respect for them. Its because of their sacrifice we can live in this great country today and enjoy the freedoms we enjoy. I chose Gibbs though because he is the leader of the best NCIS group in the nation and always finds their man. But on top of that he has always done the right thing never the easy thing and looks out for his team no matter what it is or when it is. That’s what I strive to be, someone who will fight for what’s right not easy, and be the best leader in life I can be. 

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

• biggest adversity is probably when I got told I would never play quarterback for my high school football team after my sophomore season. I had played quarterback my whole life and didn’t want to play any other position. But it was best for the team since we had a much more athletic quarterback than myself so I decided to move to outside linebacker and H-back as well as focus more on long snapping since that could be the quickest way into a starting spot on the varsity squad. When the news dropped, I thought my world was ending but looking back it might have been one of the biggest blessings in disguise, because I ended up getting to a Division 1 college and now have a chance to play in the NFL. 

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• In 7^th grade football we were on the verge of going undefeated going into our last and toughest game of the season, and going into the final seconds of the game the other team was marching down the field about to score and win the game and then our defense made a huge 4^th down stop to give us the ball where we just had to kneel once or twice and we won the game. We ran a run play to try and run out the clock but it didn’t go for any yards, so with just under 25 seconds on the play clock we go for a knee we decided to go on two to try and get a cheap and easy first down but if they didn’t bite on it we would knee it and win the game I call the first cadence and my center snaps the ball to me without me knowing so I fumbled the ball and the other team ended up recovering it and then the next play scored a touchdown to win it. To this day if I see guys from that team, they give me crap about it. 

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

• Most memorable play has to be the last second game winning kick against Purdue my redshirt junior season. It was the second time EMU beat a Big Ten team and the first time as a team we were the major underdog and ended up winning. 

What song best describes your work ethic?

• Remember the name by Fort Minor. I’ve always loved that song because it breaks down how to achieve your dreams.

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

• mental toughness. Without that every single physical side of you will fold.

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

• My grandma. She passed when I was in middle school and it didn’t register that she was actually gone until a few years later, but she was the sweetest most selfless person I have ever known and just to have one day with her to catch up and so I could see her and tell her all about what has gone on since she’s been gone and how well life has gone for me. 

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

•  Worlds Best Dance Club 

Finished my brother's long snapping highlight tape if you wanna check it out 😀 https://t.co/OZh6HJBtD9 via @YouTube

— Luke (@itsPumaLS) February 6, 2020

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

• Respected without a doubt. A lot of people can like you, but they don’t always respect you.  Earning someone’s respect is so much harder than being liked by them. You must prove to them you are worthy of being respected rather than how the person is feeling that day.

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

• OJ Simpson, He was the first great player that had his accolades and achievements thrown out because of something that happened off the field in my memory and to see how dominant the man was and all the records he holds to be erased because of a stupid action is crazy to me.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

• I love to win because it is a tangible statistic that your hard work paid off. As well as the amount of joy celebrating the win with your brothers is one of the best feelings in the world.  At the same time though I don’t enjoy losing in any capacity.

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

• My parents, they both have taught me how to properly deal with adversity and how to overcome it rather than let it overwhelm you.