2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Jordan Anderson, FB/LB, East Tennessee State University

• Name: Jordan Anderson
• Height: 6’2’’
• Weight: 252 lbs
• Position: FB/TE/ILB
• College: Brown University / East Tennessee State University
• Twitter: @JWA41

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

• Knoxville, Tennessee. Not too big, not too small, and a great place to grow up in the southeast! 

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

• 1) Strength and Conditioning – You cannot compete in the sport of football without a baseline of strength and conditioning. It is almost impossible to be a a valuable player or even functional on a football field without any strength or conditioning.
2) Practice – Reps are very important in football, and developing good habits and technique at practice that will transfer to game day is highly important. 
3) Film Study – Film is highly important, especially in a game as complicated as football. Watching yourself, others, and opponents on film can make you better and give you a competitive advantage. If you are a great athlete but you can’t execute plays or do your assignments on the field then you cannot be a productive football player.

What do you worry about, and why?

• My biggest worry in life is that I will not live up to my full potential, but I must remember that my plan is in God’s hands and that I will be led in the right direction regardless.  

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

• In a late August high school football game during my junior year, I faced a season ending injury, dislocating my ankle and breaking my leg. Not knowing if I’d ever be able to play sports again in my life, I had feelings of failure. I battled these feelings as I worked my way back from this injury and returned in a little over 5 months to play in our high school basketball playoffs at the end of January. Although I was basically out there playing on one leg, the thought of being out there playing at all was never even feasible at the time of my injury.

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• Being coachable and versatile. With the exceptions of OL and DL, through high school and college I have played every single position on a football field.

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

• Justin Watson – WR at Penn, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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

• Strength and Conditioning Coach or Medical Sales Representative

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

• Room

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

• Although I value all human lives, I would save my family member. I’m sure the strangers would understand.

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

• Rocky Balboa. Work ethic and toughness personified.

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

• Refer to the overcoming failure question ^ definitely the same answer.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• Singing in my high school choir in front of my entire school. Looking back on it I wouldn’t be as embarrassed now as I was then.

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

• Catching a touchdown pass in my second game at ETSU in front of a big crowd. It was my first year playing offense in college and my first home game at ETSU. The last time I had caught a touchdown pass was in high school, so it was a great feeling.

What song best describes your work ethic?

• Animal I Have Become – Three Days Grace

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

• Reliability and versatility

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

• My grandfather. Would love to hear more stories about his experiences playing in the NFL himself for 10 years.

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

• J.A.’s. Keep it simple.

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL?

• Kyle Jusczcyk – versatile fullback for the San Francisco 49ers 

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

• Respected. Being respected most likely means you’re doing something that is good! Being liked doesn’t always correlate with good things.

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

• Tim Tebow, he didn’t have off-field issues himself but rather people had issues with him off-field. I feel like he didn’t get enough of a chance to prove himself because he was so outspoken about his faith.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

• I personally hate losing, but I love to win more. Some of the greatest experiences of my life have been sharing the joy of a big win with my teammates and my family. I know that wins can be hard to come by, and they should be cherished.

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

• My father and my grandfather. I’ve looked up to them since I was a kid. I have tried to follow in their footsteps as best as I can while also following my own path.