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NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Michael Johnson, FB, Southern Connecticut State University

Michael Johnson is a big boy who could be a solid fullback at the next level
Michael Johnson is a big boy who could be a solid fullback at the next level

NFL Draft Diamonds and our staff have been bringing our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 2 years and this year we mixed up the questions and added some fun questions for our readers. We have tons of NFL staff that read our interviews, and we actually received several of the questions from NFL scouts we speak too. This gives them a little bit more information regarding your character. We hope to bring you more than 300 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.

What is your name?

Michael Johnson

What is your Height/Weight?

6ft 1in/ 280

What is your position?

Fullback

Where do you play college football?

Southern Connecticut State University

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

Coolest thing I have done off the field would have to be cleaning up a playground along the river in new haven with my team, we picked up trash and cleaned the place up so that the kids had a clean and safe place to play again, a child should never be told it’s unsafe to go outside and play.

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

Accounting for sure, I may be good at math but that class is impossible

Where are you from?

I’m from Springfield Massachusetts

Who is your role model, and why?

My role model can’t be labeled to one person because my role models are the greatest team I’ve ever known, my parents.  My parents are the most selfless people I know.  Their drive, perseverance, and ability to succeed at whatever they put their minds to are qualities that no one can replicate.  Growing up my parents did whatever possible to give my sister and I the life they never had, my father grew up on a farm and my mother came over from Italy when she was a toddler so they came from relatively nothing and are the most successful people I know.  To live my life with the same qualities that make my parents who they are, is the greatest gift I could ever be given.

Did you play any other sports growing up?

Growing up I’ve played soccer, basketball, baseball, Lacrosse and I wrestled

Did you play any other positions in football?

I’ve played offensive guard and tackle, Tight end, Defensive end, tackle and nose guard as well as middle and outside linebacker

At your position, what separates you from others? 

My approach to my position is to impose my will on whoever I get my hands on.  I’ve always had this saying, “no one will ever be bigger than me”, technically yes people are bigger than me, but the meaning behind that saying is, when it’s me and you going head to head, you will never hit harder than me, and I will never back down, my body will give out before I accept defeat.

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

I deal mostly with defensive ends and linebackers, so when I look at film I study their stance, everyone has a tell, that slightest shift in their posture that tells me if their running up field or crashing inside, blitzing or dropping into coverage.  I look at their physicality, if they meet contact with contact or if they avoid it.  In short I look for everything.

scsuWho was the toughest player you ever faced? 

I don’t know who the toughest player I ever faced was, I don’t pay attention to opponents names or where their from.  Everyone has had their toughest obstacle, myself included, I just don’t know who it is.

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

Personally I compare myself to Ray Lewis, he’s a balls to the wall hitter, a leader and a force that his men can rely on.  He puts his body on the line for his team and has complete faith in his unit.  He never gives up, never backs down and will never be intimidated, and neither will I.

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

Growing up I had a lot of pent up anger and it was a real problem that I kept to myself, it was changing me into a person I did not what to be known as.  Football was my outlet, it was the one place I could let out my anger and frustrations without getting into trouble and it changed me from the person I was becoming into the person I am now, and I’m grateful everyday for it.

Do you have any pre-game rituals? 

About 10/15 before we go outside to start the game  I sit by myself and close my eyes.  I clear my mind and think of what needs to be done, I think of my opponent and run through what I need to do to beat him.  I think of my family and my teammates and making them proud.  I get as calm as I possibly can and then just before I open my eyes and put my helmet on, I think of something, anything I can think of at the time to flip the switch and get me as angry as I can get.  Angry but in control.

What is your biggest strength?  

My biggest strength would be my ability to adapt.

What is your biggest weakness? 

My biggest weakness would be that I sometimes put the weight of the world on my shoulders, if something goes wrong in a game or if we lose, I always feel that if I did something different the play would have worked or we would have one.

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

Once those pads come on I’m a completely different person.  I’m a hard worker, and will do what is asked of me.  I put my team before myself and I always protect my own.  You will never meet a fullback like me and our backfield will dominate, that’s a promise.

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

My favorite player is Ray Lewis and my favorite team is the Ravens.

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

Ray Lewis, Lawrence Taylor and The Godfather

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

The first big thing I do will be to pay off all of my parents bills. They’ve done more for me than I could ever do for them, but that’s where I will start.

Rapid Answers:

  • Tupac or Biggie?
  • NFL Network or ESPN?
  • Coke or Pepsi?
  • Pizza or Burgers?
  • Dogs or Cats?

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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