NFL DRAFT Links
Round 2: Ali Marpet
Round 4: Kwon Alexander
Round 5: Kenny Bell
Round 6: Kaelin Clay
Round 7: Joey Iosefa
(On his pre-draft interaction with Tampa Bay)
"My whole experience with the draft was – I knew (the selection) would be late. I didn't know how long it would be, but I knew with my situation that I would go later in the draft. But that wasn't really a big deal for me. Basically, what I was told was that I was going to get drafted and just come in and help the team in whichever way that is. Whatever the team needs me to do, that's what I'm going to do. Just help this organization grow and hopefully get us back to the top."
(On playing a role in special teams)
"I feel that that's a big part of my game. I really pride myself on special teams; you know, kick return, punt return. But also just the full aspect of being a special teams player, which means going down and making tackles, being a gunner, being on kickoffs, being on punt (coverage). I believe special teams is maybe the most important part because we can flip field positions. What our coaches asked us to do at Utah was to get a first down. If you get a first down on a kick return or a punt return, that's 10 less yards that we have to go to get a touchdown. If you can flip the field and get better field position for the offense, we have a great chance of scoring and it also helps the defense as well."
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(On his path to being drafted)**
"I've had a crazy journey. Out of high school I did go to the University of California Berkeley. Things didn't work out the way I wanted them to work out there, and then I had to go to junior college as you said. I was there two years and just this past season I was at Utah. But I never had any doubt that I would make it, it would just be how I would make it. When it's all said and done, I'm here now. This isn't the end, there's more work to do, a lot more growth for me, but I feel that this is just the first step in me getting where I want to get to."
(On what he learned from his premature scoring celebration against Oregon last season)
"Going back to that play, it was actually probably my favorite play. I didn't get to score on it, but, just that play in general, it's helped me grow as a person, not even just as a football player. Things aren't always going to go the way you want them to go. It's how you get through adversity. With that play, I've become a better person. I've learned to not take things for granted, because not every day is promised. Things are going to happen, adversity is going to happen, but it's how you get through it. How do you go through it? Do you let it bring you down or do you keep going forward and get through it? I feel like I've gotten through it. I've had a lot of support from my teammates, fans and my family. Like I said, it's just making me a better person overall."
