NFL Draft Player Interview: DJ Young, Michigan State

NFL Mocks is proud to bring you our latest feature, Player Interviews.  The staff at NFL Mocks has been working hard to establish many different relationships and thanks to agreements with Ignition APG, D1 Sports, and St. Vincent Sports Performance we are able to bring you a closer look at the NFL Draft.  Over the next several weeks you will be seeing a lot of different player interviews and we want to thank the players for taking time out of their day to answer some questions.  Hopefully these interviews will let you get a good feel for the different personalities of each prospect.

This interview was provided by DJ Young from Michigan State.  Young is currently training at Ignition APG and working towards getting himself ready to impress NFL teams.  We want to wish DJ good luck as the NFL Draft approaches.

Question: What has been your most memorable College Football experience?

Answer:  Young stated that he would cherish the life long friendships he developed while at Michigan State.  He also mentioned that football helped him grow from a boy into a man and that is something he would never forget.

Question: Who was the best player you faced during your College Football Career?

Answer: O’Brien Schofield is a player that Young felt was a very challenging matchup.  He stated that Schofield was a very complete player with a good combination of speed and power.  Schofield always gave 110% and employed many different pass rushing techniques, he was just a complete player.

Question: What part of your game do you feel you have improved the most during your college career?

Answer: Young felt that he has become more and more comfortable with the offensive line position which allows him to play at full speed.  He thinks that the more time spend at practice and in the film room has impacted his consistency.

Question: To succeed at anything in life you need to have something that drives you, what is tit that drives you to succeed?

Answer:Young really wants to prove all the doubters wrong and show that he has the potential to become a great NFL player.  He wants to succeed for himself but mainly for his daughter.

Continue reading the rest of the interview after the jump!

Question: What do you love most about football?

Answer: Young loves to have the opportunity to compete and do something you don’t every day.  He loves being able to go outside himself and let out some aggression.  Young feels that the time spent between the lines gives him a chance to show his true potential.

Question: What area of your game do you hope to improve on, while at Ignition?

Answer: Young stated that nobody is perfect and that he would like to improve in every area possible.  He feels that even his strengths need to improve because you can always be better at something.  He is focusing heavily on his strength, power, explosiveness, and 1 on 1 blocking techniques.  He loves getting in the film room and reviewing the days work because it shows what areas need improvement.

Question: Do you consider yourself a vocal leader or someone that leads by example?

Answer: A good leader needs to be able to back up his talk on the field.  “If you talk the talk you need to walk the walk!”.

Question: When it’s all said and done what would you have liked to accomplish in the NFL?

Answer: Starting small and setting achievable goals is important.  Young feels that you need to set a goal and then when you reach that set higher goals.  Right now he is working to get drafted and crack the 53 man roster and eventually become an effective starter in the NFL.

Question: Does  your draft position matter to you? Will it affect you if you fall further than expected?

Answer: Young is hearing a wide range of draft possiblities but is doing his best not to focus on those rumors.  He always is looking to prove the naysayers wrong and if you pass him up in the draft you will come to regret that choice.  For Young its all about not getting comfortable in his situation and always striving to be better.

Question: What do you feel is the strongest part of your game?

Answer: Young feels that teams will love his motor and effort.  He feels that he works extremely hard to be the best at what he does.  Young also referenced his nastiness and his drive to finish plays.