Ed Thompson: You're now three days into the Under Armour Senior Bowl
process. How are you feeling about all of this?
DeMario Pressley: The past three days have gone well. I couldn't
ask for better. I think I've practiced really hard — we lost a tackle, so
we've had a few more reps. But I just had to push through it. These past
three days, I think I did well in pass rush. And inside, I proved that I was
powerful and an all-around tackle.
Thompson: As you receive instruction from NFL coaches, what have
you already noticed is different about the pro game?
Pressley: The quickness of the hands. I would sometimes
rely on my speed, and my defensive line coach here told me that I can't rely on my
speed that much because guards in the NFL are just as fast as I am. So
my hands have to be just as fast as my feet.
Thompson: When you look back on your college career, what are
some things you're really proud of after putting in all of that hard work?
Pressley: My sophomore year I got Academic All-SEC, and I was a
scholar athlete. And I was really proud of that. Then I graduated in three-and-a-half years while I was playing in school. So I'm proud of myself more from an
academic standpoint and how successful I've been on the field.
(NC State Athletics) |
Thompson: What are you hoping pro scouts will see about your
game that will translate to the NFL?
Pressley: For one, I know a big question was, "Am I injury prone?"
No, I don't think I am. And I've really been
working on my hands here just to prove to everyone that my hands do work
right. I guess these past three days I was just trying to prove myself to
everybody or filling in the blanks for them.
Thompson: Who are some of the players you've lined up against in
drills this week who maybe left you saying to yourself, "Wow, I'd rather not line up across from him again?"
Pressley: (laughs) The guard from USC (Drew Radovich) got me today — well, not
really. I tripped, but he landed on top of me and was like, "Yeah, baby.
I finally got you!" And I was like, "Yeah, baby alright." (laughs)
He's a guy that you can tell football really means something to him and he works
hard. Him and the center from Notre Dame (John Sullivan), he works hard too.
Thompson: Are you developing some camaraderie with some guys you
hadn't met before? Because you're going to be seeing many of these same guys in the coming months.
Pressley: One guy, he's real funny — Sedrick Ellis (USC). He's real
funny to me, boy. He likes to joke a lot. Another guy was Lawrence Jackson from USC. He's a pretty cool dude, we talked for a little bit. I never got
to meet Xavier Adibi (Virginia Tech) until last night and we talked about the two games we've
played together and really became friends. Me and Andre Fluellen (Florida State) became
good friends, but we kind knew each other before coming here — we're working out
at the same place in Atlanta.
Thompson: Anything you want to say to your fans back at NC State
who are pulling for you?
Pressley: I would like to tell them that I'm working hard, I'm not going to give up, and I won't let them down.
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