The third round is over, and as expected, the Seahawks only used their two second-round picks and did not make a move back into the third round, so they end the second day of the draft having added WR Paul Richardson and T Justin Britt. Here’s what the two had to say in conference calls with the media:
RICHARDSON
(On where is he at right now….) “I’m California right now with my family. My parents are here. My aunts and uncles, my cousins, my close friends, my trainers, everyone is here. All of them are having a great time. They are just enjoying each other right now kind of off to the side.”
(On if he knew that Seattle was this interested in him…) “I figured it out when the general manager called me. I was pretty much on the fence about everything just letting everything happen and going with the flow and watching receivers come off the board just waiting on my name to be called.”
(On if he had a visit here in Seattle during the process…) “No. I met with the team psychologist a month or so ago, and that was a great experience. He was just letting me know what the expectations were with their organization and he felt that I would be able to fit in. I had been in contact with Matt Berry, but yeah that’s pretty much the most I’ve been in touch with the Seahawks.”
(On how does he feel heading to the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks…) “I’m so appreciative right now, I’m so blessed with this opportunity, I’m still like excited. It hit me, but it hasn’t hit me. I’m just overwhelmed right now in a good way.”
(On if USC had recruited him at all when he was in high school…) “Yeah definitely. My sophomore year in high school Coach Pete Carroll offered me after UCLA, Coach Carroll with a USC offer the next day.”
(On what is the fastest he’s ever been timed in the forty yard dash…) “The fastest electric time that I have ran was a 4.28.”
(On if he can describe what type of wide receiver he is…) “I think I’m just a play maker. A guy that likes to stretch the defense and likes to make plays underneath and over the top of defenses, and do it consistently.”
(On what is he weighing right now…) “During college I played anywhere from 158 to 161. I weigh 183 right now and I’m a lot heavier than I was when I played my last game November 30.”
(On what has he done to put on his weight…) “You have a better diet. You don’t eat much at my school. We didn’t eat a whole lot, but I’m eating a lot now, I’m eating a lot healthier. My strength coach is on me all of the time. He’s making sure I’m eating properly, and I’m doing it without creatine or anything like that. It’s all natural, so it’s all weights and food.”
(On if he’s been working on some return stuff this offseason…) “Definitely. I really enjoy returning. I did a lot at Colorado and I would love to get the opportunity to do it again at the next level because I enjoyed it and it’s really fun. It’s another way to change the game.”
(On how is he knee now…) “My knee hasn’t been an issue since I took my brace off. I’ve been blessed to be able to bounce back from my injury fairly fast and it’s been serving me well.”
(On who is his favorite professor at Colorado…) “My favorite professor would have to be Chris Ingram. He was one of my communication professors and he was on me about knowing how to speak well, how to speak under pressure, and how to speak at random times when I don’t know when I’m about to speak to be able to step up, gather myself and be able to present myself well. So I really appreciate him for challenging me.”
(On what areas does he need to improve on as a player…) “I think I definitely could get stronger, and with getting stronger I think that’s going to make me a better blocker and that’s another area of improvement. As a receiver I could always polish my routes and work on how to create space from defenders at the next level because I know it’s not going to be easy as it was in college.”
(On when he made the decision to leave Colorado early was this about where he figured he would go in the draft…) “Yeah definitely. I knew that I wasn’t a top five guy, I wasn’t a top ten guy, but I knew that I brought a lot to the table and my coaches encouraged me that I was making the right decision about taking that next step and to believe in myself and train hard. All of the questions I would be able to answer with my skillset and with my play once I got to the next level starting with the combine.”
(On with all of the different coaching changes at Colorado was he asked to do different things along the way and did that prevent him from doing things he would like to do…) “I think it actually helped me. It was hard to keep those different relationships with the different coaching staffs because when you do get a new coaching staff you kind of look at those guys as uncles and father figures or maybe older brothers if they are young coaches. I was able to play in a pro-style offense, I was able to play in the pistol, I was able to play in the spread so I played in multiple offenses and I think that is going to help me and that is going to carry over in the NFL.”
(On what does he remember about the game against the Huskies…) “I remember we got beat pretty bad. It was upsetting, especially for the young quarterback, and all I could do on the sideline and every time I got a chance is tell him that they’re not going to pull him and just continue to play. That’s all I was worried about. Most of the time when we were losing in the second half of the season I would always try to talk to the young guy and make sure his head was in the game.”
(On when did he run his 4.28…) “I ran that on January 3 out here in California the first day of my combine training when they were getting evaluations.”
(On how does he feel the extra weight has affected his speed…) “I don’t think it has really affected my speed because I have been getting stronger as well as with gaining weight. I didn’t run as well as I would’ve liked to at the combine with the four days off because I was so used to training every day, every day and then you don’t get that same training. Doing starts in the hallway isn’t the same as being on the field so I didn’t have very good carryover, but I’m proud of what I was able to do and I’m proud of my training. I did run a 4.33 I wanted it to be a lot faster.”
(On his thoughts about going against Richard Sherman in practice…) “I can’t wait, I’m looking forward to it. He’s the best in the league and he’s going to continue to be that guy for years to come. I plan on challenging myself and I know he wants to challenge me each and every day. That’s going to make our team better going against and challenging each other every day. That’s going to help me grow.”
(On if he talked to John Schneider or Pete Carroll at the combine…) “No I didn’t talk to them at the combine.”
(On if he sees similarities in himself and Percy Harvin…) “Definitely. I think Percy is very, very gifted and I think I bring similar dynamics to the game. I’m not as big as Percy is, but I’m very explosive well and like to make plays just as he does.”
(On if he played outside mostly at Colorado…) “I played outside and inside and I think that’s another thing that is going to help me.”
(On what kind of communication has he had with Marquis Lee and Robert Woods…) “We have a friendly rivalry. Robert and I grew up together, we’ve been playing sports together since we were seven, baseball and football. Marquis and I played basketball with and against each other since we were young kids in AAU. As soon as Marqise drafted I tweeted him and he got back to me, and as soon as I got drafted he called me and congratulated me and he’s getting back in town in the morning. We have a really good relationship, we like to challenge each other, and since Marqise finished with the combine training he just started working out with my personal receiver coach down her in Orange County right outside of Los Angeles. So we train together now.”
(On his thought on working with Russell Wilson…) “Man he’s such a dynamic quarterback. I can’t wait to start catching passes with him. I know he’s a very smart quarterback. He can make plays and make throws from the pocket and he can use his legs to improvise a little bit and make plays down the field still, or if he needs to he’ll run. So I like the way he plays, I like that he’s a dual threat quarterback, but I know he’s a pass first type of guy and I appreciate that.”
(On if he was told that he needed to gain weight to play in the NFL…) “I definitely realized that I needed to gain weight from my coaches in college and then in my training. Once I started gaining weight I noticed how much more confident I was becoming with gaining weight and how comfortable I was with my body. It’s been fluid for me.”
(On if there are any concerns at all about his durability in the NFL…) “I don’t have any concerns. I never had any issues with an injury because of lack of size or anything. The one thing that I did have was a freak accident. I’m looking forward to having a healthy and durable career in the NFL.”
BRITT
(On how much contact did he have with the Seahawks pre-draft…) “They were staying in contact with me. I didn’t take a visit or workout with them, but I definitely knew that they were very interested in me. I showed my interest in their program and how they’re built and that is something that I wanted to be a part of.”
(On if this is the round that he thought he’d go…) “I was told second round to free agency. I was going into today and tomorrow just waiting. I was playing some shuffle board at my friend’s house and my phone started ringing and the room went dead silent. We’re all excited for the opportunity that I have, I’m excited to work with Coach Cable and the staff and build some new friendships on the team.”
(On if the draft was on at his friend’s house…) “It was on, but like I said I was playing shuffle board trying not to watch it and be nervous the whole time, but that failed. The nervousness came in quickly when my phone rang.”
(On if he was winning in shuffle board…) “Yeah I haven’t lost tonight so it must’ve been a winning streak.”
(On how many different positions have he played on the offensive line in college…) “I’ve played all five, primarily left tackle, but I have experience at all five positions.”
(On if there is a preference at a position for him…) “I just want to play, I just want to win.”
(On have they talked to him at all on where they see him fitting…) “Yeah. I think it’ll be maybe outside, but I’ll show my interest in the other spots. I just want to get on the field and I just want to win games.”
(On him coming to a run first team and how appealing is that to him…) “Blocking for a running back like Marshawn Lynch for an offensive lineman you kind of lick your chops. That’s a running back that you would love to block for, you know he’ll give the extra effort to get the extra yards so I’m excited to block for him. We had great running backs at Missouri and it looks like I’m going to continue to work for an amazing running back.”
(On what does he know about Coach Tom Cable…) “I know that he’s a good dude and he helped me get a job so I have a lot to thank him for.”
(On where is his home…) “Lebanon, Missouri. It’s where I went to high school. It’s about two hours south of the University of Missouri.”
(On his ACL tear a couple of years ago…) “It’s all in the past. We threw an interception and I went to make a tackle and it was kind of a freak thing that happened. I hit him and it tore right when I hit the guy. I got a big hit award, but it wasn’t worth it, it was not worth it. Four months recovery, but I credit the doctors back at the University of Missouri. I persevered. Adversity kind of helps you find out who you are as a person and I can’t be more proud of what’s happening right now.”
(On how would he describe his style of play…) “I’m someone who doesn’t make mental errors a lot. I’m very aggressive and I’ve always been a finisher. I tried to key my play off of that.”
(On if he’s a “nasty” lineman…) “Yeah. I went into the season last season wanting the guys I went against to remember me. It was my last year so I wanted to leave a mark in their mind and have them remember me. If nasty is the word you want to use then I’m nasty.”
(On how does he feel like he did against Jadeveon Clowney…) “Clowney is a good dude. I got to meet him down in Florida. He’s a great guy and a great competitor. I knew it was going to be a battle going into that game and I felt like the offensive line and myself had a good plan going into that game. I know for myself I put in a lot of preparation for that game, and I think that’s one of the better ones that I had this year.”
(On if there is a specific opponent this year that he made sure remembered him…) “If there is someone that I have to pick it’ll probably have to be that Florida linebacker that didn’t get that flag that he should’ve.”
(On his versatility…) “In high school I played in the I formation. I know that was a long time ago, but I played I in high school we ran right down the middle. We through a lot more when before Josh Henson took over, and when Josh took over we attached the tight end a lot. We changed our scheme of running downhill and we’re going to try to run down your throat. This past season and the season before that we kind of implemented that and it worked. We go in three point stance, two point stance and we ran the ball, and if I’m right we were second in the SEC behind Auburn who didn’t throw the ball.”
(On if playing in the SEC prepared him for the NFL…) “They say the SEC is the best conference in the nation in college football, and after playing two years in that I wouldn’t disagree. There’s not a drop off each week. Every team has a good defensive lineman, and every team can win any game. The depth is what really kind of sticks out to me. Jadeveon Clowney would go out and his backup would be pretty good too. You have to prepare just as hard for their backup as you do for the starter. I feel like something like that kind of translates to the NFL because teams have depth and people are ready to play at any time.”
(On if there are any NFL lineman playing now that he models his game after…) “I’ve watched Joe Thomas and got a couple of tips from his film, but I’m trying to be me, I’m trying to do what I do and I’m trying to leave my mark and have someone maybe be the ones that want to watch me. I definitely have learned something from watching Joe Thomas and his pass technique, but at the same time I kind of tweaked it to be my own.”
(On what does it mean to him coming to a team that has just won a Super Bowl…) “It just means that we can do it again. We have great coaches, and with the 12th Man I don’t see why it can’t happen again. I’m going to come in with that attitude that I want to be a part of that and I’m going to do all I can to help this team win championships.”
(On Michael Sam…) “Well first off I just want to say that Mike is one of my best friends at Mizzou. He’s a close friend, a great teammate, he’s awesome towards my daughter and my wife so I never thought anything negative about him. I’m not a guy to judge a guy by who he is and what he does. Mike is a great teammate, it’s not my story to tell, it’s his story to tell so I’ll wait for him to get drafted and maybe he’ll answer some more questions about that.”
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