2022 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Joshua Hyer, DE, University of Calgary

• Name: Joshua Hyer
• Position: Defensive End
• College: University of Calgary
• Height: 6′ 3″ 1/4
• Weight: 245
• Instagram: Joshhyer

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

• I think what makes me a top prospect for the 2022 draft is size and weight combined with my speed. Especially when it comes to special teams play I am a larger body but I have the ability to run and move like a linebacker. I also play with a fast motor, if I’m not making the tackle I will be on top of the pile or always there to strip the ball. 

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

• I took a great interest in football from a young age, I have been playing since I was 6 years old. I grew up playing football and watching football so ever since I could remember I have been interested in football.

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

• One thing that I have always been told and prided myself on is my ability to be coached. I can pick up and learn new techniques very quickly. That also shows that I can be put in different positions and can pick up the skills required for that position. I have been playing defensive line through my college career but I was also a good tight end in high school, both catching and blocking.

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

• If I could donate to any cause it would be one for prostate cancer. I, unfortunately, lost my grandfather to prostate cancer which was a big obstacle in my life. So if I could donate money to help towards curing and awareness around prostate cancer in men.

What is the best advice you have ever received?

• The best advice I have received came from my positional coach at U of C, he told me you don’t have to be vocal to be looked at as a leader, you can show people you are a leader just by the way you carry yourself and the effort you put in. This was good advice for me because I have always been a quiet person but my work ethic and the effort I put in on the field show my ability to lead and push others around me.

Who was your childhood hero?

• My childhood hero was my grandfather. He was someone that I looked up to a lot and we did a lot together when I was younger.

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

• The most underrated teammate in our locker room is Zach Xavier who plays D-Line as well. he is in his fourth year but has not gotten the best opportunities to dress and play in games. but day in and out he is one of the hardest working people on our team and without knowing it he is making others around him better by doing so.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

• My biggest pet peeve is having animal hair on me. My mom has two cats and whenever I go to her house I go crazy with all the hair on me.

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

• The hardest moments in my life hit me when I was younger in the 4th grade. Within the span of two months, My parents got a divorce and My grandfather passed away due to cancer. This was a time when I had to grow up fast to be there for both My parents and show strength and leadership to my younger siblings. 

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

• The University of Calgary has always been referred to as a powerhouse school in western Canada when it comes to sports. But the school and the coaches also have big visions for each athlete outside of their sport. They offer so much support for athletes when it comes to school. this makes it special to me because I know they don’t only care about what I do on the field but off as well.

What is your favorite snack food?

• My favorite snack food has always been leftovers. Whatever it is, if I can throw it in a microwave and have what i had for dinner last night again for a snack, its a good day.

What is the best part of football?

• For me, the best part of football is the connections and friendships that are made throughout the way. I have met some very inspirational people and met some of my best friends for life through football.

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

• I am not a defensive lineman, I am an athlete. put me where ever on the field I will work every day to prove that I belong.

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

• Maxx Crosby

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

• Darren Waller, for the adversity and struggles he has dealt with through his career I feel like could learn a lot of lessons and be inspired leaving that dinner. The other two people would be my Dad and Grandfather, a dinner with them two would be something that I have been missing in my life for a long time. there would be so many stories and great words of wisdom if I was able to sit down with those two men.