NFL DraftProspect Interviews

NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Joshua Ballard, DL, Fairmont State University

NFL Draft Diamonds has interviewed some of the best small schoolers to make it to the NFL.  Last year our team interviewed over 750 players from NAIA to the FBS.  This year we went to NFL teams scouts for every question on this interview.  Ten NFL scouts who are avid readers of Draft Diamonds put this interview together for our reader’s pleasure.  We hope you enjoy this interview, with another potential NFL draft prospect. 
  • Name: Joshua Ballard
  • Height: 6’2
  • Weight:280
  • Position: Defensive Lineman 
  • College: Fairmont State University 
  • Twitter: Balloutballard 
Tell us about your hometown, and what you love most about it?
  • I’m from Glen Burnie Maryland and my favorite think about back home is how friendly everybody is 
List these three in order of importance and why: Film Study, Strength and Conditioning and Practice?
  • Film- you can see your mistakes and learn from them
  • Practice-practice makes perfect and practice makes you physically and mentally get better by actually doing it
  • Strength and conditioning- not everybody is the strongest and you don’t have to be the strongest as long while you are working hard 
What do you worry about, and why?
  •  The future I want to be great and make my family proud so I put a lot of stress on myself 
Give me an example of when you failed at something. How did you react and how did you overcome failure?
  •  I failed biology my freshman year but next year I retook the class and passed it I overcame it by making a better effort in the class 
What do your teammates say is your best quality?
  • Positive attitude 
Who is the best player you have ever played against in college?
  • Billy Brown from Shepard 
What would your career be if you couldn’t play football? 
  • A detective 
Room, desk, and car – which do you clean first?
  •  Room
If there was a disaster and you could either save three strangers or one family member, which would you choose and why?
  • One family member because my family means so much to me  
If you could be any television or movie character, who would you be and why?
  •  Will Smith in 9 pounds he played an amazing human being helping out those people 
What was the biggest obstacle in your life you had to overcome, and how did you overcome it? 
  • Going to college it was really hard to leave because my family needed me but I knew in order to help my family out it starts by getting my degree
What is your most embarrassing moment?
  •  My senior year in high school I had to make a speech in front of middle schooler’s and I froze up and didn’t say a word 
What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?
  •  First time I ever got to run the ball 
What song best describes your work ethic?
  •  Lor Scoota-no turning back 
What is the most important trait you can have (Physical or Non-Physical) to help you succeed at the next level? 
  •  Work ethic and battling against adversity 
If you could bring one person back from the dead for one day, who would it be and why?
  •  Lor Scoota because he was someone that was trying to change the city and I really looked up to him 
If you were to open a dance club, what would you name it? 
  •  Smooth operators 
Who is the most overrated player in the NFL? 
  •  Larry Fitzgerald 
Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?
  • Respected because respect goes a long way in life 
What player who had his career derailed by off-field issues do you feel for the most and why?
  • Michael Vick because he was someone that a lot of people looked up to especially myself and one person that I feel that changed the game where you have so many QB’s now running the ball. I feel as though if he had never done what he did his career would be amazing 
Do you love to win, or hate to lose? 
  •  Hate to lose
Who has been the biggest influence on your life and explain why? 
  • My mother she has gone through so much and have done so much for me and my siblings and still able to smile through everything

Damond Talbot

NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com

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