2021 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Dillon Keefe, OLB, Chapman University

• Name: Dillon Keefe
• Height: 6’2
• Weight: 220lbs
• Position: OLB
• College: Chapman University
• Twitter: @dillon_keefe

What is the best restaurant in your hometown city? 

• Sushi Bomb, all you can eat, delicious sushi for $30. Count me in every time. 

When breaking down your film what will stick out? 

•  The players that are consistently around the ball each and every play. It shows their tenacity and high level motor as they are always running and around the football. 

If you won the lotto, what is the first thing you would do with the money? 

•  If I won the lotto, the first thing I’d do with the money is make sure my family is well supported before I spend it on anything else.  

What has been your biggest failure? 

• The biggest failure I have endured would be not playing to my fullest potential sophomore year of college. I began to feel like I plateaued and I did not reach the goals I had set for myself that season. I became comfortable with where I was and after the season I realized I had a lot more work to do if I wanted to be anywhere close to the man and player I aspire to be. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• I think my teammates would say my best quality is my diligence. I do things with great care and attentiveness while always pushing my limits to become better overall. 

Who is the hardest working teammate on your team?

• I am lucky to have many accountable, hardworking teammates, but the one that comes to mind the most is David Aarhus. David works a full time job during the week so he is up at 7 am every day getting his lifts in, all while serving as a captain on the team alongside myself. 

Have you ever had a nickname? What is it?

• No

What is your degree in, if you do not make it as a football player, what is your dream job? 

• My degree is in Business Finance. If I do not make it in football, I’d like to work a job that applies to my competitive edge and appreciates a good work ethic. 

What is your coolest life moment? 

• I would say my coolest life moment is, currently, winning in triple overtime against Linfield in the first round of the playoffs last year. 

What song would you sing at Karaoke night? 

• Promiscuous – Nelly Fertado. Don’t ask why or how, I just happen to know the song very well.  

Check out NFL Draft Diamonds 2021 Small School Rankings

If you could pick any actor to play you in a movie, who are you picking? 

• Channing Tatum, the dude just doesn’t lose and he can dance, which is one thing I cannot do. 

Who is your favorite football team? 

• I’m more of a person that appreciates individual players. 

If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

• If I had a warning label, mine would say warning, may break out into song every 5 minutes. 

What is your biggest fear? 

• Losing a loved one and spiders

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

• DJ Chark Jr. Jacksonville Jags. He was a pivotal part of my fantasy team last year and always a solid bet yet, no one knew why I was winning. It also could’ve been because I had Mahomes at QB too. 

Take us through game day, How do you prepare? 

• Get to the school around 8 am and sit in the locker room while eating a solid breakfast and watching netflix and sports highlights for a couple hours. Around 2 pm I will jump into the hot tub at the school and spend a solid 10-15 minutes warming up my body. Then off to lunch before the game. After lunch, I begin to put my warm up gear on and proceed to tape both ankles, wrists, and elbows. After that, I always warm up on the goal line talking to my teammates about the game ahead of us. After that I go back inside, put my pads on, then my eye black, and we start going outside for our team warmups. 

Do you have any hobbies? 

• Other hobbies I have besides football is, golf, music, painting, and I recently became a big fan of wake surfing (X-Games Mode). 

If you had to compare yourself to someone in the NFL, who would that be? 

• If I had to compare myself to someone in the NFL, I would compare myself to Jamaal Adams or Taysom Hill. Both players are extremely versatile players that have a lot of football smarts and a great feel for the game. 

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

• My biggest influence in my life is my grandpa. I don’t think I’d be playing football if he wasn’t consistently supporting me and always telling me to stick with it. 

What motivates you to work hard?

• My teammates motivate me to work as hard as possible. I hold them accountable for working just as hard so I need to do my part in working just as hard, if not harder, so I can be a better leader and teammate.