2022 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Jacob Ayyub, OL, Amherst College

• Name: Jacob Ayyub
• Position: Offensive Line C/G/T
• College: Amherst College
• Height: 6’4 
• Weight: 300
• Twitter: @JacobAyyub
• Instagram: @jacobayyub

What makes you a top prospect at your position  in the 2022 NFL Draft?

• My combine measurables are comparable with 1-3rd round draft picks. I’m technically sound and extremely physical at the point of contact. I can make a difference in the run game, add necessary protection to the interior, and thrive under competitive environments.

At what age were you first interested in the sport of football?

• I started playing football in 8th grade and have loved the sport ever since.

What is one thing that NFL teams should know about you?

• I am extremely coachable, dependable, and I hold myself accountable in addition to responding well to others holding me accountable.

If you could donate to one cause in the world, what would it be?

• I would donate to feed and properly house the children and families of refugee camps in the Middle East. With that being the background of my parents I’m extremely grateful for my situation today and that’s most definitely my first donation.

What is the best advice you have ever received?

• Learn to love the process and you will achieve your goals

Who was your childhood hero?

• My mother. She had moved here abruptly from the Middle East with my father the year I was born and worked really hard to make sure my two younger brothers and I were more than prepared for anything we pursued and overall was very supportive.

Who is the most underrated teammate in your locker room at your school?

• A sophomore offensive lineman, Jack. He doesn’t start for us but he is the epitome of someone who has bought into the goal and success of the team over himself. He owns his role, steps up, and makes sure our O-line unit and team are as prepared as possible in whatever means he can.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

• My biggest pet peeve is when someone is willing to give their time to something but not give it their full effort. Then it’s just a waste of time in my opinion.

Overcoming adversity is what defines character, what was the hardest moment in your life to overcome?

• I’ve been blessed to be raised by two great parents who always provided my brothers and I with support and foundation in times of adversity. There was a period when I was younger where my parents had thought it best that my mother and brothers and I move to the Middle East for some time. As I was in middle school and had been raised in Massachusetts I was worried about going to a new school, on top of that a new country in addition to my brothers and I not knowing when we’d be able to see our father again. Faith, patience, and trust were essential in overcoming these times but in the end I’m grateful for everything my parents have done for my brothers and I.

Tell me something about your school and why it is so special to you?

• In the beginning I wasn’t really a fan of my school because my ego was still hung up on not going D1 as that had always been a part of my visualized path to the NFL. But I honestly wouldn’t trade the relationships I made here in the past four years with a chance to start at any power 5. The friendships I’ve made with my teammates are going to live long past my football career.

What is your favorite snack food?

• Mangos, dried or fresh

What is the best part of football?

• Winning.

If you could sell yourself in one sentence what would you say?

• If you missed out on Ali Marpet or Quinn Meinerz, here’s your chance to make it up with me.

If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be?

• Currently I would compare the way I play to the way Chiefs G Trey Smith has been playing. Even though I’m currently playing RT for my team, there are parallels in the dominance and the finishing ability.

If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would it be and why?

• Growing up in New England had made me a die hard Brady fan so he would definitely be one of them. His success and dominance as a football player is unparalleled and learning about his process would not only be interesting but valuable. My second choice would be my great granddad on my father’s side. My brothers and I have heard so many cool stories about him and what life was like back in Palestine so a chance to pick his brain about that would be amazing. The third person would be Muhammad Ali in his prime. With both of us being Muslim athletes at some level, gaining his perspective in how that played a role in his life has always been something i’ve wondered about.