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April 27, 2020
On what players he likes to watch on film:
“Yeah, I watch a lot of old film of guys. I remember in college, I would get Coach J [Ohio State Associate Head Coach/Defensive Line Larry Johnson] to put together a folder on the film. I would get him to put every sack that week from the NFL. I would get him to put every Von Miller sack, Khalil Mack, Nick [Bosa], Joey sack. And I would go back also and just watch film of when Joey was in college. I would get Coach J to make cut ups of Joey and Nick just so I could look at it. I do a lot of watching old film of guys.”
On how he developed his game:
“To be honest, it was a process. My freshman year, I had gotten a taste of what we call drinking the Kool-Aid, our technique that we do. My sophomore year, obviously I got better my junior year, I got better. I feel like it’s just repetition. You know I really don’t know how I did it. I just started doing it over and over again and just really started paying attention to each detail in our toolbox that we use in the game. I just told myself and I promised myself that I would focus that whole summer leading up to my junior year solely on our technique. I did that and it paid off for me.”
On what he learned watching film and who he compares his game to:
“If I could compare anybody or say I play like anybody, I would say it’s [DE] Julius Peppers. But I watch Nick a lot and Joey a lot just because they took our technique to the NFL. I watched them a lot just to see if it worked on the next level, and obviously it’s working on the next level. That’s something I found out, and I’m very excited about.”
On why he compares himself to DE Julius Peppers:
“I mean that was a guy I always just grew up watching back when he was with the [Carolina] Panthers. When he was with the [Chicago] Bears, I watched him. My uncles always used to talk about Julius, my dad. You know, my dad didn’t have an NFL team, but he liked Julius Peppers, so I just grew up always talking about and watching Julius Peppers.”
On his growth in three years at Ohio State:
“I go back and look at all the mistakes I made in college on film and stuff. There’s a lot of stuff I can correct, man. It’s a lot of stuff. I can definitely get better. My hands can definitely get better. My hips can definitely get better, my first step can, hand placement in the run game can get better. It’s a lot of stuff that I have in my head that I’m focused on and that I’m working on just so I can do better at it in the League than in college.”
On Ohio State Associate Head Coach/Defensive Line Larry Johnson:
“Yeah, man, Coach J, it was a blessing. I thank God every day because he put Coach J in my life. Coach J helped guide the whole unit. But it’s like when you get a real relationship with Coach J and you go to him extra all the time, you are just building a relationship and you let him know, ‘I’m here, I’m all in.’ And then, he goes all in for you, too. I feel like that’s how it was – he was all in for me and I was all in for him. We just really put it all out on the line for each other. In just working with him, I’ve grown tremendously. I’ve got more focused – just compared to my freshman year – I’ve got more focused. Coach J, everything they say about you is true. He’s the guru. He is the best of the best. I appreciate him because he helped me get here.”
On DT Jonathan Allen and local DMV guys:
“I actually went over to Jonathan’s house the day after the draft. Chopped it up with him. Just wanted to meet one of the leaders of the defense. I felt like it was right to do that. I’m reaching out to all of my teammates and trying to get to know them. [DE] Montez [Sweat], I am supposed to be getting with him. I’m fired up, man. We have a D-line filled with first-rounders. I think when we go, watch out. A lot of people I know compare Nick [Bosa], when he came in the league. When he was added to that D-line, the 49ers had a top defensive line. He came in and just added more pressure. That is the only thing I am trying to do. Just come in, be a sponge and just play as hard as I can.”
On his relationship with Jonathan Allen and if he knew him in high school:
“A little bit. I always knew he was a guy from Virginia and he was good. I didn’t know who he was but I just knew he was super big compared to me. I was probably like five-foot-five or something like that. I just remember a really big dude in VA that was going to Alabama. That is a big deal going to Alabama from Virginia. I definitely remember.”
On his preparation against his opponents:
“I look for a lot, man, I really do. I look and like to study the offensive linemen tendencies. Where they might look before the snap, how they set, where is that kick for them is it far back or up shorter? It is a lot of stuff, play recognition. Which plays do they run out of each formation. How does the linemen stand different during those formations? I do my best watching film. I am definitely going to continue that on this next level.
On what he has heard about the next steps in terms of getting prepared during this uncertain time:
“All I know is that I get my iPad this week, either today or tomorrow. I can talk to my coaches, I just can’t be on the unit Zoom calls with the team. I believe I can talk to my own coach in private meetings. I have not done it yet so we are just checking to see if we can do it. If I can, that would be my plan. I would want to schedule out all the times that we can meet. Get caught up on the new playbook that is coming in. I am running with the punches. It is a different draft and I ran with the punches on draft day. Just everything in the future I am going to roll with the punches.”
On adjusting with the lack of repetitions:
“I don’t think it will be too much of a lack because I put in a lot of work on my own. Just defensive line wise, conditioning, recovery. Just trying to get everything incorporated into what I do. Hopefully, that first day I am going to be in the best shape I can be in and definitely most prepared in a situation as a rookie like myself can come in and be. I’m just trying to be the best I can be.
On what it has been like since he got drafted:
“I took a day off the day after the draft. I have been talking to all my coaches and trying to get in touch with all my teammates. Still working out, staying in shape. Just trying to get in touch with my teammates and trying to figure out when I can talk to my coaches and get caught up on the playbook. Just working out and staying ready.
On the balance of being a local guy:
“I just believe that you have to have good people around you. A team, I would call it, a team. There is going to be people out here coming out of the woodwork that said they knew me. You know how that whole thing goes. You just have to have a good team around you. There has to be a boundary between you and those types of people. I believe I do. I have a team and that is the first step in the balancing. On the other end, you know who they are and you just have to be aware of them. Try your best to just stay out of certain situations. Just focus on your job and that’s football.”
On the positive elements of playing for his hometown team:
“I get to play in front of my family, I get to put on for where I’m from. I get to be an inspiration for all the young kids growing up in my area. I mean, I get to play for the Washington Redskins, a team that I’ve watched growing up, obviously because I’m from the area. It’s a lot man. I’m just excited for real. I feel like the most exciting thing is, for home games, my parents, they don’t have to fly anywhere. They can drive 20 minutes up the road to come watch me play. And after the game, after the W, we can have a party or something. Just a little cookout or get together, something easy, something that if I got drafted anywhere else I couldn’t do. It’s a lot more pros than cons.”
On who he is looking forward to going up against in the NFL:
“You know I’ll probably keep that to myself. I feel like that’s inside motivation. But tackles that are very good that are in my league, I mean obviously the [Dallas] Cowboys have a good O-Line, the [Philadelphia] Eagles have a good O-Line. [Former Eagles OT] Jason Peters, [Eagles C] Jason Kelce, the Cowboys they’ve got [Cowboys OT] Tyron Smith. I mean, there’s definitely some good tackles in the division so you know, I’m just going to try to keep working, put my best foot forward, just to show everybody what I’ve got.”
On his thoughts post Draft:
“It’s time to go to work. You know what I’m saying. That’s all it is. You get drafted at the second pick, you’re going to be sent high expectations. People try to label you with the gold jacket, I just try to mute everything out, man. I try to mute out the negativity, I try to mute out the positivity, and just focus on football and focus on the smaller things like nutrition, taking care of my body. Just focus on everything that got me here now. On the next level obviously, trying to just bring everything I do, do it even greater, and hopefully my NFL career will be pretty good, just trying to do what I do.”
On how he plans to be an influence off the field to his community:
“I plan to make a big impact. I want every kid in Maryland, I want every kid in the DMV, to know that I’m just a good guy. I’m a regular person just like anybody else. A guy that can get personal with them, and just tell them, I was in your shoes, and now I’m here. And these are the steps that you have to take to get here. You know through every step, it’s one thing, every step has a common. And that’s just working hard. You know, I definitely want to have a foundation. I’m putting all those together now. I’m definitely going to try to make my presence felt throughout the whole community.”
On the potential of him to continue growing in height:
“My dad, my dad’s side of the family, a lot of guys grew late. I know my dad, when he went to high school, his freshman year, he was about 6 foot, 6’1”. I think his senior year when he left, he was about 6’6”. I think in college, I believe, his sophomore year he grew to be about 6’7”, and then his senior year he was about 6’9”. Now he’s like 6’10”. So, I mean, he grew late, it’s a possibility that I can grow late. A lot of people told me my growth plates, there’s still some room. But I don’t feel like it will affect my game. I feel like, it’s just something I will adapt to. Just staying flexible. Obviously, if you’re tall you’ve got to be a lot more flexible. But I don’t think it will affect my game at all. I’ll be the same person, whether I’m 6’7” or 6’1”, I feel like everything’s cool.”
On what was his most memorable Draft moment:
“I feel like, just sitting back, watching my family be excited, laughing with each other, when I was getting picked. Just sitting back and remembering just those times when the Draft would come on, a young kid, I had a wife-beater on in the house. You know, a little kid running around in my drawers, just looking at the TV, seeing first round picks just going by on the screen. I always told my mom, I want to be one of them. It always stuck in my head that I was going to be a first round pick. That’s always been my plan. Always been plan A. You know, that’s just something that I’ve always felt for my whole life.”
On how his run defense has evolved:
“It’s definitely a big part of my game. I know throughout the weeks when I get prepared for games, I would take [Ohio State Head] Coach [Ryan] Day twice a week after practice. The first thing that we would watch to prepare for that game that week is the top five runs of our opponent that weekend. That next day I would go into practice calling out plays, in the run game. And I think that’s why my game really excelled even more because I knew if it was a run. Play recognition when I would study film. I knew, if it’s this formation, 80 percent run. I knew, if it was this formation, it was going to be 20 percent run. So, I feel like, play recognition throughout my run game, and obviously from my freshman year to junior year, I got a lot stronger. My balance has gotten a lot better. My hand placement, my lockout has gotten a lot better since my junior year. I feel like I play the run real good, I feel like I play double teams real good, I feel like I play pulling guards real good, if you go back and watch film. You know obviously, you know, where you get your money is, they say, per se, is sacks. That’s the flashiness of the defensive lineman. So, I feel like those sacks maybe overshadow what I do in the run game. But I feel like those people that know ball for real, when you go back and just watch my film of my run game, I feel like they know what I do in the run game.”
On the impact on him as a pass rusher to play with other impactful guys:
“I feel like that’s the only way, a good pass rusher, if he’s by himself on the team, you’re going to be great to a certain extent. But when you have, whenever your whole defensive line is full of first rounders, and dogs who are ready to go, I feel like it’s not too much an offense can do. We always talk about, me and [49ers DE] Nick [Bosa], could’ve played my sophomore year, his junior year, if he never got hurt, there would’ve been nothing an offense could’ve done with us. If you slide to Nick, then you let me go off. If you slid to me, then Nick going to go off. I feel like you know, that’s the same thing with the Redskins. [DE] Montez [Sweat], we’ve got [LB] Ryan [Anderson], [LB] Jon [Bostic], [DT Daron Payne], when the inside guys are good too, especially [Former Ohio State DT] Devon Hamilton, love Devon, because that was my guy. He used to sacrifice plays for me. So it’s like, when you really work as a unit, and you’ve got all guys clicking on all cylinders, and every guy is a first rounder. I don’t feel like the offense can really do anything with a defensive line like that.”
On having to compete for a spot:
“I’m going to go in and be a sponge. You know, my head down, ready to work. I feel like I’m a fierce competitor. At the end of the day this is our job. Obviously you love to play football but this is a business. So all I can say is I’m going to put my best foot forward, and show what I have. However it ends up, it ends up. But as long as I put my best foot forward, I’ll be okay with everything.”
On putting boundaries on family and friends:
“It’s definitely, I would say, a few types of people that I already had a boundary, and I’m going to continue that. I’m going to take the guidance from my parents, from my team, and obviously, I’m young, this is new to me. Getting money at a young age, you have people coming out the wood works, and you really don’t want to say no but you’ve got to. It is what it is man, it is what it is.”
DE Chase Young
On what players he likes to watch on film:
“Yeah, I watch a lot of old film of guys. I remember in college, I would get Coach J [Ohio State Associate Head Coach/Defensive Line Larry Johnson] to put together a folder on the film. I would get him to put every sack that week from the NFL. I would get him to put every Von Miller sack, Khalil Mack, Nick [Bosa], Joey sack. And I would go back also and just watch film of when Joey was in college. I would get Coach J to make cut ups of Joey and Nick just so I could look at it. I do a lot of watching old film of guys.”
On how he developed his game:
“To be honest, it was a process. My freshman year, I had gotten a taste of what we call drinking the Kool-Aid, our technique that we do. My sophomore year, obviously I got better my junior year, I got better. I feel like it’s just repetition. You know I really don’t know how I did it. I just started doing it over and over again and just really started paying attention to each detail in our toolbox that we use in the game. I just told myself and I promised myself that I would focus that whole summer leading up to my junior year solely on our technique. I did that and it paid off for me.”
On what he learned watching film and who he compares his game to:
“If I could compare anybody or say I play like anybody, I would say it’s [DE] Julius Peppers. But I watch Nick a lot and Joey a lot just because they took our technique to the NFL. I watched them a lot just to see if it worked on the next level, and obviously it’s working on the next level. That’s something I found out, and I’m very excited about.”
On why he compares himself to DE Julius Peppers:
“I mean that was a guy I always just grew up watching back when he was with the [Carolina] Panthers. When he was with the [Chicago] Bears, I watched him. My uncles always used to talk about Julius, my dad. You know, my dad didn’t have an NFL team, but he liked Julius Peppers, so I just grew up always talking about and watching Julius Peppers.”
On his growth in three years at Ohio State:
“I go back and look at all the mistakes I made in college on film and stuff. There’s a lot of stuff I can correct, man. It’s a lot of stuff. I can definitely get better. My hands can definitely get better. My hips can definitely get better, my first step can, hand placement in the run game can get better. It’s a lot of stuff that I have in my head that I’m focused on and that I’m working on just so I can do better at it in the League than in college.”
On Ohio State Associate Head Coach/Defensive Line Larry Johnson:
“Yeah, man, Coach J, it was a blessing. I thank God every day because he put Coach J in my life. Coach J helped guide the whole unit. But it’s like when you get a real relationship with Coach J and you go to him extra all the time, you are just building a relationship and you let him know, ‘I’m here, I’m all in.’ And then, he goes all in for you, too. I feel like that’s how it was – he was all in for me and I was all in for him. We just really put it all out on the line for each other. In just working with him, I’ve grown tremendously. I’ve got more focused – just compared to my freshman year – I’ve got more focused. Coach J, everything they say about you is true. He’s the guru. He is the best of the best. I appreciate him because he helped me get here.”
On DT Jonathan Allen and local DMV guys:
“I actually went over to Jonathan’s house the day after the draft. Chopped it up with him. Just wanted to meet one of the leaders of the defense. I felt like it was right to do that. I’m reaching out to all of my teammates and trying to get to know them. [DE] Montez [Sweat], I am supposed to be getting with him. I’m fired up, man. We have a D-line filled with first-rounders. I think when we go, watch out. A lot of people I know compare Nick [Bosa], when he came in the league. When he was added to that D-line, the 49ers had a top defensive line. He came in and just added more pressure. That is the only thing I am trying to do. Just come in, be a sponge and just play as hard as I can.”
On his relationship with Jonathan Allen and if he knew him in high school:
“A little bit. I always knew he was a guy from Virginia and he was good. I didn’t know who he was but I just knew he was super big compared to me. I was probably like five-foot-five or something like that. I just remember a really big dude in VA that was going to Alabama. That is a big deal going to Alabama from Virginia. I definitely remember.”
On his preparation against his opponents:
“I look for a lot, man, I really do. I look and like to study the offensive linemen tendencies. Where they might look before the snap, how they set, where is that kick for them is it far back or up shorter? It is a lot of stuff, play recognition. Which plays do they run out of each formation. How does the linemen stand different during those formations? I do my best watching film. I am definitely going to continue that on this next level.
On what he has heard about the next steps in terms of getting prepared during this uncertain time:
“All I know is that I get my iPad this week, either today or tomorrow. I can talk to my coaches, I just can’t be on the unit Zoom calls with the team. I believe I can talk to my own coach in private meetings. I have not done it yet so we are just checking to see if we can do it. If I can, that would be my plan. I would want to schedule out all the times that we can meet. Get caught up on the new playbook that is coming in. I am running with the punches. It is a different draft and I ran with the punches on draft day. Just everything in the future I am going to roll with the punches.”
On adjusting with the lack of repetitions:
“I don’t think it will be too much of a lack because I put in a lot of work on my own. Just defensive line wise, conditioning, recovery. Just trying to get everything incorporated into what I do. Hopefully, that first day I am going to be in the best shape I can be in and definitely most prepared in a situation as a rookie like myself can come in and be. I’m just trying to be the best I can be.
On what it has been like since he got drafted:
“I took a day off the day after the draft. I have been talking to all my coaches and trying to get in touch with all my teammates. Still working out, staying in shape. Just trying to get in touch with my teammates and trying to figure out when I can talk to my coaches and get caught up on the playbook. Just working out and staying ready.
On the balance of being a local guy:
“I just believe that you have to have good people around you. A team, I would call it, a team. There is going to be people out here coming out of the woodwork that said they knew me. You know how that whole thing goes. You just have to have a good team around you. There has to be a boundary between you and those types of people. I believe I do. I have a team and that is the first step in the balancing. On the other end, you know who they are and you just have to be aware of them. Try your best to just stay out of certain situations. Just focus on your job and that’s football.”
On the positive elements of playing for his hometown team:
“I get to play in front of my family, I get to put on for where I’m from. I get to be an inspiration for all the young kids growing up in my area. I mean, I get to play for the Washington Redskins, a team that I’ve watched growing up, obviously because I’m from the area. It’s a lot man. I’m just excited for real. I feel like the most exciting thing is, for home games, my parents, they don’t have to fly anywhere. They can drive 20 minutes up the road to come watch me play. And after the game, after the W, we can have a party or something. Just a little cookout or get together, something easy, something that if I got drafted anywhere else I couldn’t do. It’s a lot more pros than cons.”
On who he is looking forward to going up against in the NFL:
“You know I’ll probably keep that to myself. I feel like that’s inside motivation. But tackles that are very good that are in my league, I mean obviously the [Dallas] Cowboys have a good O-Line, the [Philadelphia] Eagles have a good O-Line. [Former Eagles OT] Jason Peters, [Eagles C] Jason Kelce, the Cowboys they’ve got [Cowboys OT] Tyron Smith. I mean, there’s definitely some good tackles in the division so you know, I’m just going to try to keep working, put my best foot forward, just to show everybody what I’ve got.”
On his thoughts post Draft:
“It’s time to go to work. You know what I’m saying. That’s all it is. You get drafted at the second pick, you’re going to be sent high expectations. People try to label you with the gold jacket, I just try to mute everything out, man. I try to mute out the negativity, I try to mute out the positivity, and just focus on football and focus on the smaller things like nutrition, taking care of my body. Just focus on everything that got me here now. On the next level obviously, trying to just bring everything I do, do it even greater, and hopefully my NFL career will be pretty good, just trying to do what I do.”
On how he plans to be an influence off the field to his community:
“I plan to make a big impact. I want every kid in Maryland, I want every kid in the DMV, to know that I’m just a good guy. I’m a regular person just like anybody else. A guy that can get personal with them, and just tell them, I was in your shoes, and now I’m here. And these are the steps that you have to take to get here. You know through every step, it’s one thing, every step has a common. And that’s just working hard. You know, I definitely want to have a foundation. I’m putting all those together now. I’m definitely going to try to make my presence felt throughout the whole community.”
On the potential of him to continue growing in height:
“My dad, my dad’s side of the family, a lot of guys grew late. I know my dad, when he went to high school, his freshman year, he was about 6 foot, 6’1”. I think his senior year when he left, he was about 6’6”. I think in college, I believe, his sophomore year he grew to be about 6’7”, and then his senior year he was about 6’9”. Now he’s like 6’10”. So, I mean, he grew late, it’s a possibility that I can grow late. A lot of people told me my growth plates, there’s still some room. But I don’t feel like it will affect my game. I feel like, it’s just something I will adapt to. Just staying flexible. Obviously, if you’re tall you’ve got to be a lot more flexible. But I don’t think it will affect my game at all. I’ll be the same person, whether I’m 6’7” or 6’1”, I feel like everything’s cool.”
On what was his most memorable Draft moment:
“I feel like, just sitting back, watching my family be excited, laughing with each other, when I was getting picked. Just sitting back and remembering just those times when the Draft would come on, a young kid, I had a wife-beater on in the house. You know, a little kid running around in my drawers, just looking at the TV, seeing first round picks just going by on the screen. I always told my mom, I want to be one of them. It always stuck in my head that I was going to be a first round pick. That’s always been my plan. Always been plan A. You know, that’s just something that I’ve always felt for my whole life.”
On how his run defense has evolved:
“It’s definitely a big part of my game. I know throughout the weeks when I get prepared for games, I would take [Ohio State Head] Coach [Ryan] Day twice a week after practice. The first thing that we would watch to prepare for that game that week is the top five runs of our opponent that weekend. That next day I would go into practice calling out plays, in the run game. And I think that’s why my game really excelled even more because I knew if it was a run. Play recognition when I would study film. I knew, if it’s this formation, 80 percent run. I knew, if it was this formation, it was going to be 20 percent run. So, I feel like, play recognition throughout my run game, and obviously from my freshman year to junior year, I got a lot stronger. My balance has gotten a lot better. My hand placement, my lockout has gotten a lot better since my junior year. I feel like I play the run real good, I feel like I play double teams real good, I feel like I play pulling guards real good, if you go back and watch film. You know obviously, you know, where you get your money is, they say, per se, is sacks. That’s the flashiness of the defensive lineman. So, I feel like those sacks maybe overshadow what I do in the run game. But I feel like those people that know ball for real, when you go back and just watch my film of my run game, I feel like they know what I do in the run game.”
On the impact on him as a pass rusher to play with other impactful guys:
“I feel like that’s the only way, a good pass rusher, if he’s by himself on the team, you’re going to be great to a certain extent. But when you have, whenever your whole defensive line is full of first rounders, and dogs who are ready to go, I feel like it’s not too much an offense can do. We always talk about, me and [49ers DE] Nick [Bosa], could’ve played my sophomore year, his junior year, if he never got hurt, there would’ve been nothing an offense could’ve done with us. If you slide to Nick, then you let me go off. If you slid to me, then Nick going to go off. I feel like you know, that’s the same thing with the Redskins. [DE] Montez [Sweat], we’ve got [LB] Ryan [Anderson], [LB] Jon [Bostic], [DT Daron Payne], when the inside guys are good too, especially [Former Ohio State DT] Devon Hamilton, love Devon, because that was my guy. He used to sacrifice plays for me. So it’s like, when you really work as a unit, and you’ve got all guys clicking on all cylinders, and every guy is a first rounder. I don’t feel like the offense can really do anything with a defensive line like that.”
On having to compete for a spot:
“I’m going to go in and be a sponge. You know, my head down, ready to work. I feel like I’m a fierce competitor. At the end of the day this is our job. Obviously you love to play football but this is a business. So all I can say is I’m going to put my best foot forward, and show what I have. However it ends up, it ends up. But as long as I put my best foot forward, I’ll be okay with everything.”
On putting boundaries on family and friends:
“It’s definitely, I would say, a few types of people that I already had a boundary, and I’m going to continue that. I’m going to take the guidance from my parents, from my team, and obviously, I’m young, this is new to me. Getting money at a young age, you have people coming out the wood works, and you really don’t want to say no but you’ve got to. It is what it is man, it is what it is.”
