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NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Joseph Massaquoi, DE, Marshall University

Joseph Massaquoi is a force on the defensive front. He is very good at moving people around

our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 3 years and this year we mixed things up a bit. Our questions are designed to give our readers a little more insight on the draft eligible player. We hope to bring you more than 350 interviews of NFL Draft Prospects this season. You will be able to track them all on the front page of our website in the banner to the right.  Now let’s meet our next prospect!!!!

What is your name?

Joseph “Joe” Massaquoi

What is your Height/Weight?

6’5, 273 lbs

What is your position?

Defensive Line

Where do you play college football?

Marshall University

Football is about giving back, what is the coolest thing you have done off the field?

The coolest thing I’ve ever done of the field was really integrating myself into my school’s surrounding community. I volunteered at St. John’s Learning and Development Center for almost a year. I got really close with the kids there and they even made it to one of our games this year to cheer me on. It was really cool to see!

What was the hardest college class you ever had to take?

My hardest class was definitely my graduate capstone class for my major (criminal justice).

Where are you from?

I’m originally from Alexandria, Virginia.

Who is your role model, and why?

My role model would have to be my D-line in high school; Rodney Johnson. He really pushed me as a player and helped me achieve many things throughout my career.

Did you play any other sports growing up?

Growing up, I was BIG on basketball and lacrosse. I actually didn’t start playing football until 9th grade.

Did you play any other positions in football?

I can play every position upfront along the defensive line. I played some special teams at Marshall and played a little tight-end in high school.

At your position, what separates you from others?

What separates me from others at my position is I have really good hands and length. I use my length to lock out and get off of blockers. I almost always get my hands inside blockers which gives me the ability to control them. Also the biggest thing that separates me is that I am very agile/athletic.

When you are breaking down film, what do you look for?

When breaking down film from a defensive line standpoint, you look at the offensive linemen’s splits, levels, and also the backfield set. Those guys upfront are big so they give away certain things. They aren’t able to hide if they’re pulling or pass setting or coming off to run block. It’s very rare you see a guy able to hide those things well.

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

Forrest Lamp from Western Kentucky is probably the toughest player I’ve played against.

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

I would compare myself to someone like Calais Campbell from the Arizona Cardinals. While we are different in size, he plays everywhere along the defensive front and is productive. I feel like I have that same skill set.

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

Certain family issues that have gone on with my family the last year in a half have been huge obstacles in my life. Besides by the Grace of God, being at football practice, meetings, and games helped me kind of forget about problems at home. It gave me a break from reality.

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

I’m very superstitious so on game days I like to do everything the exact same.

What is your biggest strength?

My biggest strength is my athleticism especially for my size.

What is your biggest weakness?

My biggest weakness or something I need to continue to work on is my upper body strength

If I were a GM and gave you a second to sell yourself, what would you say?

If I were selling myself to a GM, I would tell them that they’d be getting a smart player who is coachable and cares enough make changes. I am very versatile and can play wherever they needed me to play. I would work hard and always do my job 100%. I would also tell him that I was forever grateful to him for taking a chance on me.

Who was your favorite player and/or NFL team growing up?

My favorite team growing up was the Falcons partly because of Michael Vick and partly because I thought their mascot was really cool.

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

I would want to have dinner with President Obama, Jennifer Lopez, and LeBron James.

What will be the first big item you buy once you are in the NFL?

The 1st big item I would buy would be a car for my mom because Lord knows she needs one!

Damond Talbot

NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com

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