NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Darin Peart, DB, Stony Brook University

What is your name?

Darin Peart

What is your Height/Weight?

Height 5’10”, Weight 200 lbs.

What is your position?

Defensive Back

Where do you play college football?

Stony Brook University

Where are you from?

Brooklyn, NY

Who is your role model and why?

My mother is my role model.  She is loving, giving and a woman of great humility. She is always helping others. No matter what challenges she has gone through she goes through them with courage and perseverance. My mother is a pillar of strength. When she was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, she saw the fear in me and my siblings because we didn’t know her fate.  She acted as if nothing was wrong and would tell us, it was just a temporary disorder.  She kept me focused on football. She encouraged my brother and sister to continue their dream as artist. Although her heart was really weak, she showed up at all my games except one when she was hospitalized. She would even make cupcakes and cakes for the team. She has a saying, “if you try your best to do good, reach out and help others, be respectful and look at the world through the eyes of humility, goodness will find its way back to you”. Her belief got her a new heart? Since her transplant she went back to work, got her Yoga teaching certificate and is still reaching out to help others.  My mother is my biggest inspiration.

Who was your favorite teacher?

Ray Lizzi, high school

Did you play any other sports growing up?

No

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

Curtis Samuel in high school, we would challenge each other.

Who is the most underrated player on your team?

Me, Darin Peart

What is the one song that would fire you up before the biggest game of your life?

Legend by The Score

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

Marcus Peters from the Kansas City Chiefs.  He is a good cover and plays one on one very well.

What was the biggest obstacle in your life you had to overcome and how did you overcome it?

My biggest obstacle was my last year of junior high school and my mom made me join a football team because she got tired of me getting hurt playing street football.  When I joined the team, I realized I knew nothing about football and my peers was so far ahead of me. They had been playing since that were 9 or 10 years old.  I was determined to be on their level and I put my all into practice, learning the plays and the rules of the game. I would watch games, watch plays and saw myself doing the same thing.  I worked hard at it and it paid off because Erasmus High School saw my potential and asked me to play for them.

Do you have a pre-game ritual?

Yes, I pray for me and the team to bring our best forward and I in prayer in gratitude to the people that got me where I am today i.e. my parents, friends, teachers, coaches and of course God.

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

I fielded a squib kick and returned it 60 yards which lead to a touchdown.

What is the coolest thing you ever did off the field for someone else?

When I go home on break, I visit my high school to motivate others.

Who was your favorite NFL team growing up?

Minnesota Vikings

If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would you choose:

Deon Sanders, Eric Thomas and Bill Parcells