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NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Raphael Lawson-Gayle, WR, Southwest Minnesota State

RAPHAEL LAWSON-GAYLE is a speedster that has made plays his entire college career
RAPHAEL LAWSON-GAYLE is a speedster that has made plays his entire college career

NFL Draft Diamonds has been bringing our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 3 years and this year we mixed up the questions and added some fun questions for our readers. Our questions are designed to give our readers a little more insight on the 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 the prospect!!!!

What is your name?

Raphael Lawson-Gayle

What is your Height/Weight?

5’91/2, 177

What is your position?

WR,KR

Where do you play college football?

Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU)

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

I was an assistant Sunday school teacher at my church for 4 years before I left for college.

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

Hardest college class is Biomechanics by far.

Where are you from?

I’m raised in Los Angeles, but I’m Jamaican/ Costa Rican.

Who is your role model, and why?

My mom is my role model because she came to America as an immigrant, was a single mother with two kids and no college education .  Not once did she ever let any of us go without eating even if it meant she wouldn’t be able to eat herself she has always put us first.  I wanna live my life with that passion she had for us to succeed.

Did you play any other sports growing up?

I played soccer all my life growing up and ran track my last two years of high school.

Did you play any other positions in football?

I played RB all my life until my last two years here at SMSU when I was moved to WR.

At your position, what separates you from others?

I think the biggest difference is my physicality has always surprises everyone that I have played with and against.

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

When I break down film I am usually looking at the basic coverage that the team plays and mainly the tendencies the person who will most likely guard me has as well as other DB’s on the team

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

The toughest person I every faced would have to be Joshua Querbash my high school teammate/friend going against  him in practice sucked because I have never played a person that hits as hard as him with a passion for physicality like him.

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

I would say Steve Smith just because I play with a certain level of physicality similar to the way he  place the game with.

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

The biggest obstacleI I have had to over come is just making the most of what I had because growing up my family has never had much so I never had all the stuff I may have wanted to play sports, but we have always had each other support and found ways to make it work.

raphaellawsongayle300Do you have any pre-game rituals?

I don’t really have a pre game ritual but the day before every game I have always eaten a McDonald’s meal (2  Mcdoubles, 2 McChickens, 1 small fries)

What is your biggest strength?

My biggest strength is my ability to make people miss in small areas.

What is your biggest weakness?

My biggest weakness is sometimes trying to be more physical  than I should be which sometimes takes yards away than what I could have gotten if I just made him miss.  

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

I am most likely one of the fastest if not the fastest person on the field as well as quickness, but one thing that won’t be matched is my passion on the field and willingness to learn.

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

My favorite player growing up was and still is Brian Dawkins, favorite team growing up has always been the Vikings.

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

Three people I would have dinner with would be Jesus, Martin Luther King, and Bob Marley.

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

The first big thing would be a car so that I don’t have to ride the buss all the time anymore

Rapid Answers

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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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