By Darrell.
I just just wondering what your pre draft interaction was with the forty nine ers, whether you paid a visit or had a workout or things like that.
Yes, sir, so I had a zone call to start off with them. It was my second zone call since after my pro day. Then after that zoone call, I had a thirty visit which was last week with them.
Had a thirty visit with them and everything went well.
Hey, Darrell, congratulations, What is your interaction ben with Steve Wilkes? What do you get from him? What's your vibe? He's kind of a defensive back safety specialist. What did you what was your interaction like with him?
Man, So when I actually got to see him the day of when I had my thirty visit, Like I heard so much about him because I went to dinner with one of the dB coaches there, so like they will always tell me what he's big on, you know, what is his rules basically, and so like when I got to meet him, like it was just the vibe was there.
You know.
I connected with him instantly. He loved everything that I was talking about. He was watching film. Me and him connected very well. So, like I mean, I feel like I had a real good bad with him. We both we both ended it off well.
Hi Darrell, David Lombardi here from the Athletic I've noticed just on some quick highlight tapes that you seem like a particularly physical player. Do you enjoy playing, you know, a little bit closer to the box line of scrimmage. I know you have versatility between you know, slot, corner and outside, but there's is there something that you really like about being able to to kind of show that physicality closer to the box.
Oh?
Yeah, I mean being close up price man. I mean, it allows me to put my hands on early. It allows me to be able to rough those receivers up and get them into their routes sooner than they will want to. So of course that was and that's something that I've done, like since I was little, you know, I've been doing that coverage basically, prissman.
My whole football career so aspired from that physicality. How would you describe just your skills as a cornerback.
Oh, I feel like they're they're on top of the roof, you know what I mean? And shoot, I got you know, I got the strength that I got the physicality as they say, I got the mental mental part of the game, you know, I especially coming into the NFL.
That's something that I take pride in. You know.
I always talk about, you know, once I get drafted, boom on getting in the playbook. As soon as I get there, I'm connected with a veteran because I want to get that stuff already taken care of. I want to be able to make people feel like I am a veteran, you know what I mean That way, I'm comfortable when I get out on the field. I want coaches to know that they can trust me on that field. So that's exactly what I'm bringing. I'm bringing the physicality part.
I'm bringing in the mental part to the game.
Do you consider yourself an outside corner or a nickel? Do you expect to cross train once you get here? What have they told you initially about how they see you kind of fitting into the forty as defensive backfield?
Oh so yeah, Well, honestly, I'm very versatile.
I've played both nickel and outside corner, so I mean I can play both. Of course, I have had majority of my career being outside, but I've also been reintroduced a couple of times back at Nickel since high school. So you know, I can play both positions. It don't matter which one as long as I'm able to help out the team in any way.
They congrats. I rather that you were a no starter recruit. So if that's if that is accurate, what did collegees miss about you?
And were you surprised coming out of high score there wasn't more interest.
Man, So, like I mean, and it's a story behind all that, but we would get into that like later on down the road. But like you know, I feel like a lot of teams missed out on the skill set that I have, the abilities that I have that I've been given.
You know.
Also I feel like they've missed out on where how I the stuff that I bring to the game. Again, like I always tell y'all, like I've told the mental and part, I feel like they've missed out on those things. And so you know, as you see later down the line from high school to Pearl, from Pearl to South, you see nothing but progression, and you and people just look back and be like, wow, while we why haven't we you know, recruited that guy or even take that guy in?
You know, So it's all good though.
We can see that sign waving behind you, can you describe where you are and who's uh, who's with you?
Boom?
So this is this is actually a sign that my mother in law made and this was around.
Graduation time.
And you see, of course, just a picture where I was in the locker room.
Today. Uh, we got a couple of banners out.
I have my aunties and my uncles, I have my cousins, I have my wife, my daughter, you know, I have a nephew. Pretty much got a good amount of family here to support me.
So, I mean, this is an excellent day.
Throughout being a husband and a girl.
Dad.
How does that affect how you've prepared your life for this NFL career?
Yeah, it's man, it's unexplainable. I'm not gonna lie to you.
Like since the day, since the day I know I was projected to get drafted, to the day I got married, to the day I got a kid, everything's just been building on top of each other. It continues to motivate me, adds on to the stuff that I was already motivated motivated from in the past, So it just keeps building up. It's very unexplainable.
Man, I was just wondering if you knew Tarvarius Moore, who who also went up to Pearl River. He used to play for the forty and ers, is now with the Packers.
I honestly don't. I've heard I've heard a lot about him, but I honestly didn't. Never got a chance to meet him, Never got a chance to meet him.
Look for it. I hope I get to meet him one today.