At the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday, it was the draft prospects at the wide receiver, running back, and quarterback positions who took to the podium to speak with the media. From their ability to land a plane, positional value, and more, here are the top NFL Draft prospect quotes from Friday.
Plenty of Interesting Quotes in NFL Combine Interviews
Rome Odunze and Adonai Mitchell answered some interesting and funny questions, while Braelon Allen, Blake Corum, and Bucky Irving shared some thoughts on the running back position in their interviews.
Sam Hartman also shared some thoughts about the new EA Sports College Football game and what he would add to the NFL Combine in his player interview quotes.
Rome Odunze Talks Landing a Plane
Odunze is one of the best wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft. Whether it be making a tough catch or making someone miss after the catch, at 6’3″ and 200 pounds, he can do it. He had 92 catches for 1,640 yards and 13 touchdowns in his final season at Washington.
However, it wasn’t a question about football that sparked interest from him today. It was whether he could land a plane in an emergency. “Absolutely not,” Odunze said. “We are going down; all souls have perished.”
For some reason Rome Odunze was asked if he could land a plane in an emergency. pic.twitter.com/CeF0Y3OzTB
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) March 1, 2024
On top of that, Odunze also dipped into the debate on whether birds are real, sharing that he thinks they are, except for pigeons. “Pigeons are fake,” Odunze said.
Blake Corum Talks Running Back Value
Once upon a time, running backs were the staple in the NFL. However, things have changed in recent years. Now, running backs are undervalued and have minimal value compared to other positions. Teams just don’t want to pay as much for running backs as the players want, even if they deserve it.
“It sucks, but it’s up to us to change the narrative,” Corum said in his interview. “It sucks; obviously running backs wanna get paid, but at the end of the day, it is what it is. You can only control the controllable.”
Michigan Blake Corum on the RBs are devalued concept: It sucks, but it's up to us to change that narrative. pic.twitter.com/RUMUho4hGz
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) March 1, 2024
Braelon Allen Talks Speaking With Derrick Henry
If you’re looking for a big, muscular running back, Allen is probably your guy. At just 20 years old, Allen is 6’2″, 238 pounds, and a freak of nature. With that size, it just makes sense that he talks to the 6’3″, 247-pound Derrick Henry. “That’s a guy who I’ve talked to a bunch,” Allen said.
Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen said he has talked to Derrick Henry often. The biggest thing he wanted to get from Henry is how to take care of his body to be able to play with physicality and longevity. pic.twitter.com/COHmKFpn1I
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) March 1, 2024
Allen shared with reporters that the biggest thing he wanted to get from Henry was how to take care of his body and still be able to play with physicality and longevity. “Derrick’s a guy I talk to all the time, and he’s been great for me, especially throughout this past year,” Allen said. “I study him a lot and try to emulate his game a little bit.”
Bucky Irving Talks Fighting Size Issues
While Allen is the bigger, Derrick Henry-style running back, there’s also the 5’10, 195-pound Irving out of Oregon who still found just as much success. In three seasons in college (two with Oregon), Irving had 475 attempts for 2,937 yards and 20 touchdowns. He also had 95 catches for 785 yards and five touchdowns.
He’s tired of hearing that you have to be 200+ pounds to be a running back. “I always have that dog in me: the underdog, a chip on my shoulder,” Irving said. “I feel like today’s game, you got Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, all them boys really put on for the running backs and showing that you don’t have to be that big.”
Oregon playmaker Bucky Irving is tired of being told you have to be 200 lbs, etc to be a RB. "I always have that dog in me, the underdog, a chip on my shoulder. Irving mentioned Jahymr Gibbs as guys that put on for smaller RBs. pic.twitter.com/vdrPk5AJim
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) March 1, 2024
Sam Hartman Talks Hair and EA Sports College Football
Despite a long, six-year college career, Hartman is heading to the NFL before the return of the infamous EA Sports College Football game. “I’m just pissed because I spent six years in college, and I didn’t get a piece of that. Come on,” Hartman said.
“That was the only reason I went back to Notre Dame was just to get a EA and put on the gold helmet, but I hope they make some type of legacy-something or a washed-up college quarterback deal,” Hartman said. “That’d be dumb. An old-timer league, or instead of mascots, they put just old quarterbacks. I dunno.”
In addition to EA Sports College Football, Hartman was asked about one event he would add to the NFL Combine. “I might do something with my hair, maybe like a salon trip, maybe that would give me a couple boosts in the draft rating or something,” Hartman said.
Adonai Mitchell Continues Bird Theories
Yesterday it was Tip Reiman who said he believes the theory that birds aren’t real. As a result, someone asked Texas wide receiver Mitchell if he felt the same. “That’s a crazy question, bro,” Mitchell said.
“I do want a pet parrot when I get myself established. I just want to be able to talk to somebody when I’m at the crib,” Mitchell said to reporters.
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