NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Matt Goggans, QB, Bowie State

NFL Draft Diamonds and our staff have been bringing our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 2 years and this year we mixed up the questions and added some fun questions for our readers. We have tons of NFL staff that read our interviews, and we actually received several of the questions from NFL scouts we speak too. This gives them a little bit more information regarding your character. We hope to bring you more than 300 interviews of NFL Draft Prospects this season. You will be able to track them all on the front page of our website in the banner.

What is your name?

Matt Goggans

What is your Height/Weight?

6’2 ¾” 223        

What is your position?

Quarterback

Where do you play college football?

North Carolina Central University 1 year Bowie State University final year.

Football is about giving back, what is the coolest thing you have done off the field?

Was able to do some community outreach and some meet and greets at both of my schools, it feels good to be able to talk to some of the kids that hope to be in the same position that I am in. To be able to tell them some of the things to avoid and some of the work that is needed to be able to reach the place they want to get to is a great way to give back to the next wave of college athletes.

What was the hardest college class you ever had to take?

Statistics

Where are you from?

Pine Grove, California

Who is your role model, and why?

I got a couple of people I look up too, as a player I would say Kurt Warner just a resilient and dedicated player that was able to accomplish his goals. The other would be Tom Brady, guy is just so competitive and always wants to be perfect, love watching him work. In personal life I was able to be coached by some great people and probably most important one I had was my Father Steve Goggans.

Did you play any other sports growing up?

Played Baseball and Basketball.

Did you play any other positions in football?

I started out playing football as an offensive lineman and defensive end, sophomore year of high school moved to Tight End and Outside Linebacker, junior year started playing quarterback and been in that spot ever since.

At your position, what separates you from others?

The mental aspect of the game, I feel that I am able to beat the defense even before the play happens with controlling the plays, protecting the run and being able to know what the defense is trying to accomplish play in and play out.

When you are breaking down film, what do you look for?

I look for the schemes that the defense is trying to run, once I understand the scheme trying to be run I understand what the offense needs to do to give ourselves the best opportunity to be successful.

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

Probably would say the toughest I face would have been Gerald Bowman, he was the Strong Safety at LA Pierce JUCO and ended up playing at USC. Very physical player and pretty good athlete.

If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be and why?

Tom Brady, I would say that because I feel we have very similar physical talents, both of us prefer to work inside the pocket and like to win in the mental part of the game. If it was former players I would say Kurt Warner, he was a very good player for a lot of years.

What was the biggest obstacle in your life you had to overcome, and how did you overcome it?

The toughest obstacles has been a couple of knee injuries that limited my abilities most of my college career. I was able to correct it with surgery and a lot of hours of physical therapy.

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

I like to go over the play book, call sheet and scouting reports and visualize some of the plays and how we can make the plays explosive.

As a small school football player what obstacles do you feel you have to overcome?

I think as a small school ball player we don’t get some of the benefits that some major college players are able to have accessible, things like top strength training and nutritional programs. I think the best thing about being a small school football player is that the maturity quickly develops because you don’t have the structure that is often there at the larger schools.

What is your biggest strength?

Mental preparation.

What is your biggest weakness?

My running ability.

If I were a GM and gave you a second to sell yourself, what would you say?

Well if you look at some of the greatest quarterbacks and the most consistently great Quarterbacks in the game play the game with an elevated level of awareness and that come from preparation, they beat teams before the ball is even snapped by understanding defense and what plays and where to get the ball into a playmakers hands the best way possible.

Who was your favorite player and/or NFL team growing up?

Can’t say I have a favorite player, I am friends, a former roommate and teammate of CJ Anderson so I make sure I stay up to date with what he is doing, for NFL teams I was a big Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, loved watching John Lynch, Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, Mike Alstott and Brad Johnson, they had a great group of guys so deep down still my team but now I love watching good offensive play, regardless of who the team is.

If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would you choose?

Bill Walsh, Tom Brady, Mike Leach.

With your first NFL paycheck what would you buy?

Probably fix up my car.

Rapid Answers:

• Spongebob or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
• Lifetime Channel or HGTV?
• Waffles or Pancakes?
• Snakes or Spiders?
• Madden or Mario?