Q: Is this where you thought you would go, or were you surprised that the Giants called you?
A: I was surprised because a lot of [mock drafts] had me going from the fifth to seventh round. I spoke to coach Pope and we talked for over an hour, so I had a pretty good feeling about it.
Q: You didn’t catch a lot of passes over your college career. What is it like to not get the ball that much?
A: It wasn’t bad for me because that was just how our offense was. We had a good running back in Isaiah Pead. He went over 1, 000 yards. For me, personally, blocking was something I felt like I needed to work on the most. So individually, I think it actually helped me out because I got to block a lot more.
Q: Did you work out for the Giants?
A: No, sir. I visited there.
Q: There’s not a lot of times that a guy gets picked in the fourth round and has a chance to compete because of injuries at the tight end position. Have you thought about that much?
A: No, not a lot. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to play and learn from coach Pope. When those guys come back, I’m sure I’ll be able to take a lot from them, too.
Q: Do you think teams were surprised by the way you worked out this spring and came out of nowhere in that regard?
A: Yes, I think they were surprised because, like you said, I didn’t have a lot of catches so a lot of people weren’t expecting me to do so well. I think a lot of teams were surprised.
Q: Do you think you can make a difference in the NFL as a pass catcher?
A: Yes, sir, I think I can. I think I have pretty good hands. My senior year I didn’t have any drops the whole season. So I think I’ll do pretty well.
Q: How much better have you gotten at blocking?
A: I think I’ve gotten 10 strides better because I had Coach Johnson. He coached at Georgia for seven or eight years. He had Watson and Pope and those guys come down to Georgia. He’s been coaching over 20 years. He taught me a lot about footwork and angles and leverage and understanding where to be on the football field. I think I improved a lot as far as my blocking goes.
Q: Did Mike Pope echo the same things you’ve been hearing about technique?
A: Yes, he did. It was funny because a big thing that Coach Johnson told me about was leverage and that was kind of the same thing that he tells his guys. So we kind of clicked on that part of it and we ended up just talking.
Q: Were you disappointed that you weren’t at the combine?
A: I wasn’t disappointed because I wasn’t expecting to go to the combine, based on my numbers. I figured combine guys are all guys that have pretty good stats. So I was a little disappointed, but not a lot because I wasn’t expecting to go. I knew pro day was going to be my opportunity to show for the scouts so that’s what I focused on.