2021 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Benjamin Knutson, OT, Tulane

• Name: Benjamin Knutson
• Height: 6’8″
• Weight: 300 lbs
• Position: OT
• College: Tulane
• Twitter: @thebenknutson

What is the best restaurant in your hometown city?

• Hacienda Mexican Restaurant in Mishawaka, IN.

When breaking down your film what will stick out?

• 1) My ability to move, given my size 2) My instincts and smarts for the game 3) My ability to play multiple positions and change positions on the fly.

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

• Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world, so save half of the money. The other half I would invest in real estate and buy myself a Ford Raptor.

What has been your biggest failure?

• During my redshirt year at UVA, I came down with Mono and had to sit out the last two months of the season. I lost a total of 40 lbs and lost all of the gains I made in the weight room during that important redshirt year.

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• Leadership in taking freshmen players under my wing and helping them adjust to the college level.

Who is the hardest working teammate on your team?

• Cam Sample

Have you ever had a nickname? What is it?

• Big Nut

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

• I have a bachelor’s in foreign affairs (from UVA), a master’s in accounting (Tulane), and an MBA (Tulane). If I wasn’t playing professional football, I would love to work in the front office of a professional sports franchise. 

What is your coolest life moment?

• Asking my beautiful fiancé to spend the rest of her life with me. 

What song would you sing at Karaoke night?

• Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts

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

• Chris Pratt

Who is your favorite football team?

• I am a big fan of Drew Brees, so the New Orleans Saints

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

• Don’t forget to check your clearance!

What is your biggest fear?

• Believe it or not, I am claustrophobic, which can create some problems for a 6’8″ 300lbs man.

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL?

• Darnell Mooney: Had one FBS offer out of high school, and is only starting to show what he can do in the NFL. I watched his work habits and how he carried himself for a year at Tulane, and I know the Bears got a good one.

Take us through game day, How do you prepare?

• I try to be relaxed and mellow throughout the day so that I can release all my energy when the game starts. I like to eat light meals, watch a little TV, and do a little bit of last-minute study of our game plan and the opponent. 

Do you have any hobbies?

• I love karaoke and trivia nights with my friends.

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

• Mitch Schwartz for the Chiefs

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

• My high school basketball coach Al Rhodes. Although I did not pursue a basketball career in college, Coach Rhodes instilled in me the importance of hard work and training in the offseason. Coach Rhodes always said, “There will be a time when the winter will ask what you did all summer.” The same applies to football, there will be a time when the fall will ask what you were doing all spring.

What motivates you to work hard?

• My fiancé Lauren is who I consider being my Why. It’s because of her and her support in pursuing my dreams that I am in the position I am today.