05-23-2020, 10:38 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-23-2020, 10:46 PM by SomeSay....)
Welcome everyone, to the Minnesota Grey Duck rookie spotlight. I'm your CB Matt Krause and all this week I'll be sitting down with the Rookies from my Minnesota Grey Ducks. Talking draft, football, life and everything in between. This week I have the best OLineman in the DSFL, Julio Jones!! Julio was drafted by us in the seventh round, 50OA and boy was he a steal, he leads the DSFL in pancakes with 56 and has allowed only 1 sack. Impressive. But without further adue here he is.
Julio, welcome sir, it's been a few days since I've seen you. How are you? Getting ready for our big playoff push I hope?
Hey man, its good to be here. I’m doing pretty well. I’m super freaking pumped about pushing for playoffs and hope that we’ll be able to make it. I know that we have the talent and just need to execute.
Awesome, so let's start with a little about yourself. Big time highschool recruit, Alabama national champion. How did you wind up in the seventh round of our draft. I'm not complaining but how does it feel to put everyone on notice that you're here to stay!
Oh man, that’s something that is absolutely still kind of a sore spot for me. I think, at the core of this issue, it just comes down to popularity. As you know, I was not the best at selling myself, coming out of college. I thought that my production alone would be able to turn some heads in the major leagues, but that was obviously misdirected, as seen by where I was drafted. I think that, combined with the fact that people wrote my production off to be “a product of Nick Saban’s offense” really tanked my draft stock heavy. But hey, I’m just glad that I got a chance to make everyone regret passing on me and am glad that I am able to contribute for the Grey Ducks.
Very well said, you've had a fantastic rookie campaign with us, as I mentioned in my pre-show 56 pancakes and 1 sack allowed. Jamar and Snowy absolutely love having you blocking for them. Did you expect to perform so well in your first year? And have you met your expectations? Exceeded them?
You know, I’m not going to lie, I very much have exceeded my own expectations for this season. I’m sitting at 56, meaning that I’m only like 5 pancakes away from the Grey Ducks single season record, which is something that I never thought I would ever even get close to. I think part of this was also the fact that I was taken so late. Because I was taken late, I think it made me kind of doubt my own abilities a little. But once I started performing, I think that doubt went away and I was able to perform at my full potential. Then again, I must say that having such a prolific offense in Snowy and Jamar playing behind me definitely takes some of the pressure off of me. I know that even if I mess up, they will likely be able to make a play and at least get back to the line. So, I can’t take all the credit.
Now speaking of your expectations. Lineman are a huge commodity in the league. You're one of the best. So, let's jump right into the recruiting process, how's it been for you? Any choice destinations would like to land? Anywhere you wouldn't want to be?
Oh jeez, I’m not going to lie, it’s been incredibly different from my recruiting process before the DSFL draft. At that time, I had 3 interview requests max, and one of them was Dewalt (GM of the Grey Ducks) very late in the process. However, over the past week, I’ve gotten an incredible amount of scouting requests and interviews from almost half of the teams in the league, and I’ve been able to have a great conversation with most of these GMs. It’s been exhausting, but very fulfilling knowing that my hard work is paying off. Destination-wise, I think that I would very much like to end up in a locker room that is both active and a good fit for me chemistry wise. It would also be a bonus to continue to be teammates with some of the guys that I have gotten to know and grown close to in my DSFL days. So, my ideal destinations would be anywhere that meets that criteria.
Now piggy backing off of recruitment. Let's get into draft talk, i believe there's no way in hell your lasting till round 7 again. Do you have expectations on where you think you'll go? Does it matter to you what round you go in?
Want the real answer? I honestly believe that I am worth a first round pick. Now, I know you’re probably thinking “oh Julio, but skilled positions are so much more useful and necessary than offensive line” and you’re probably right. But I guarantee you, that I am the farthest thing from a bust you will ever see. I guarantee that I will absolutely be a top earner and will anchor your line for seasons to come, so that your skilled players can actually go and make plays. You absolutely won’t regret it. Now, given the realities of the situation, I think that the absolute highest that an offensive lineman would possibly go is the late second round, more likely the third. Thus, if I were to put money on it, I’d say late second or third. But, once again, I think that I deserve to go in the first round.
Now towards the end of the interviews I like to talk about our team and get a good perspective from the rookies. Overall how did you feel about your time in Minnesota? Was there anything that stands out to you? And do you think being here was the best possible outcome for you as a player?
Oh gosh, I loved my time in Minnesota. The other rookies and players were great, Dewalt our GM was great, and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything else. If anything, I’m still grateful they took a late round flyer on me and glad that it panned out for them. For me, what stands out the most is absolutely the camaraderie that is in that locker room. We went through a lot of highs and lows together, from (almost) clinching playoffs to starting 1-3, and the entire locker room went through that together. That type of bond isn’t something you find too often. I absolutely think that coming here was the best possible scenario. It fit me well, and allowed me to get into my role without too much pressure.
Alright Julio, I'm not going to keep you any longer, your started to get hangry, and lineman gotta eat. I'm going to let you have the floor. Everyone's listening, GMs, coaches, players, fans and media. What do you want to tell the world about Julio?
Don’t be the idiot that passes up on a generational talent. I know what I can do and what my potential is, and believe me when I say that I will be one of the greatest linemen in the history of the NSFL. People might say reaching for a lineman is dumb, but the actual dumb thing to do would be to let me slip through the cracks.
Thank you so much Julio. And thank you everyone for checking out my Daily Rookie Spotlight series. It has been pleasure to bring everyone some insight to the Minnesota Rookie Class. Thank you rookies for sitting down with me. Good luck to you guys in your NSFL careers.
Pleat split 50/50 between Reaper11B and 24redcrayons
Julio, welcome sir, it's been a few days since I've seen you. How are you? Getting ready for our big playoff push I hope?
Hey man, its good to be here. I’m doing pretty well. I’m super freaking pumped about pushing for playoffs and hope that we’ll be able to make it. I know that we have the talent and just need to execute.
Awesome, so let's start with a little about yourself. Big time highschool recruit, Alabama national champion. How did you wind up in the seventh round of our draft. I'm not complaining but how does it feel to put everyone on notice that you're here to stay!
Oh man, that’s something that is absolutely still kind of a sore spot for me. I think, at the core of this issue, it just comes down to popularity. As you know, I was not the best at selling myself, coming out of college. I thought that my production alone would be able to turn some heads in the major leagues, but that was obviously misdirected, as seen by where I was drafted. I think that, combined with the fact that people wrote my production off to be “a product of Nick Saban’s offense” really tanked my draft stock heavy. But hey, I’m just glad that I got a chance to make everyone regret passing on me and am glad that I am able to contribute for the Grey Ducks.
Very well said, you've had a fantastic rookie campaign with us, as I mentioned in my pre-show 56 pancakes and 1 sack allowed. Jamar and Snowy absolutely love having you blocking for them. Did you expect to perform so well in your first year? And have you met your expectations? Exceeded them?
You know, I’m not going to lie, I very much have exceeded my own expectations for this season. I’m sitting at 56, meaning that I’m only like 5 pancakes away from the Grey Ducks single season record, which is something that I never thought I would ever even get close to. I think part of this was also the fact that I was taken so late. Because I was taken late, I think it made me kind of doubt my own abilities a little. But once I started performing, I think that doubt went away and I was able to perform at my full potential. Then again, I must say that having such a prolific offense in Snowy and Jamar playing behind me definitely takes some of the pressure off of me. I know that even if I mess up, they will likely be able to make a play and at least get back to the line. So, I can’t take all the credit.
Now speaking of your expectations. Lineman are a huge commodity in the league. You're one of the best. So, let's jump right into the recruiting process, how's it been for you? Any choice destinations would like to land? Anywhere you wouldn't want to be?
Oh jeez, I’m not going to lie, it’s been incredibly different from my recruiting process before the DSFL draft. At that time, I had 3 interview requests max, and one of them was Dewalt (GM of the Grey Ducks) very late in the process. However, over the past week, I’ve gotten an incredible amount of scouting requests and interviews from almost half of the teams in the league, and I’ve been able to have a great conversation with most of these GMs. It’s been exhausting, but very fulfilling knowing that my hard work is paying off. Destination-wise, I think that I would very much like to end up in a locker room that is both active and a good fit for me chemistry wise. It would also be a bonus to continue to be teammates with some of the guys that I have gotten to know and grown close to in my DSFL days. So, my ideal destinations would be anywhere that meets that criteria.
Now piggy backing off of recruitment. Let's get into draft talk, i believe there's no way in hell your lasting till round 7 again. Do you have expectations on where you think you'll go? Does it matter to you what round you go in?
Want the real answer? I honestly believe that I am worth a first round pick. Now, I know you’re probably thinking “oh Julio, but skilled positions are so much more useful and necessary than offensive line” and you’re probably right. But I guarantee you, that I am the farthest thing from a bust you will ever see. I guarantee that I will absolutely be a top earner and will anchor your line for seasons to come, so that your skilled players can actually go and make plays. You absolutely won’t regret it. Now, given the realities of the situation, I think that the absolute highest that an offensive lineman would possibly go is the late second round, more likely the third. Thus, if I were to put money on it, I’d say late second or third. But, once again, I think that I deserve to go in the first round.
Now towards the end of the interviews I like to talk about our team and get a good perspective from the rookies. Overall how did you feel about your time in Minnesota? Was there anything that stands out to you? And do you think being here was the best possible outcome for you as a player?
Oh gosh, I loved my time in Minnesota. The other rookies and players were great, Dewalt our GM was great, and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything else. If anything, I’m still grateful they took a late round flyer on me and glad that it panned out for them. For me, what stands out the most is absolutely the camaraderie that is in that locker room. We went through a lot of highs and lows together, from (almost) clinching playoffs to starting 1-3, and the entire locker room went through that together. That type of bond isn’t something you find too often. I absolutely think that coming here was the best possible scenario. It fit me well, and allowed me to get into my role without too much pressure.
Alright Julio, I'm not going to keep you any longer, your started to get hangry, and lineman gotta eat. I'm going to let you have the floor. Everyone's listening, GMs, coaches, players, fans and media. What do you want to tell the world about Julio?
Don’t be the idiot that passes up on a generational talent. I know what I can do and what my potential is, and believe me when I say that I will be one of the greatest linemen in the history of the NSFL. People might say reaching for a lineman is dumb, but the actual dumb thing to do would be to let me slip through the cracks.
Thank you so much Julio. And thank you everyone for checking out my Daily Rookie Spotlight series. It has been pleasure to bring everyone some insight to the Minnesota Rookie Class. Thank you rookies for sitting down with me. Good luck to you guys in your NSFL careers.
Pleat split 50/50 between Reaper11B and 24redcrayons
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