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2023 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Jacorey Crawford, Nickel/Safety, Georgia State

Jacorey Crawford, DB, Georgia State
Jacorey Crawford the versatile defensive back from Georgia State recently sat down with Nick DiMeglio of Draft Diamonds.
  • Name: Jacorey Crawford
  • School: Georgia State University 
  • Position: Nickel/Safety
  • Height: 6’0
  • Weight: 215
  • Instagram: corey1XL
  • Twitter: j_crawford01

What goals did you set and/or accomplish in your final college season?

I just wanted to be the best player that I could possibly be. 

What made you decide you wanted to be a football player?

My entire family is football, playing, and coaching. It’s been bred into me.

What makes your journey to this point different/unique from others?

I’ve always been an under-the-radar guy. A diamond in the ruff type of guy: nothing flashy, no arrogance, just playing ball. Chasing the things that I want relentlessly but also letting everything that’s for me come to me.

Which one of your family members inspires you the most and why?

My parents and my brother. Each of these individuals embody what it means to be resilient. My father never went to college and still somehow managed to be a water technician for our city, for 25 years he was the person behind cleaning, testing, and effectively distributing clean water to our city. My mother has an associate’s degree and was a teacher for 10 plus years before transitioning to being a part of the board of education in that same county has now gone on to be a full-time employee for the state government. My brother played football his entire life but it ended abruptly due to injuries. This pushed his college graduation back nearly 4 years. But within a year of his college graduation, he was fortunate enough to get a position in war aviation contracting and continues to elevate in that field. My family is full of people that make something out of nothing and I won’t be the first to stop that cycle.

What would your coaches and teammates say about the type of player you are?

He’s a part of the family, he’s smart, instinctual, takes pride in knowing the intricate details of why we move/play/call the way we do. He enjoys understanding knowing the reason why and it not only frees him up to play faster but also creates opportunities for others to make plays. Selfless.

When you are studying film, what are the things you focus on?

Filed position, down & distance, concepts, run/pass keys, concept keys, flow of the game, and I also watch tv copies alongside the clipped copies. Tv copies show you the feel of the game and how not only players react/play in certain moments but also how coaches coach in certain situations. I feel like it gives me an understanding on who’s coaching against our team and how their impulse is or isn’t effected by what happens over the course of a game.

What separates you from the other pro prospects at your position?

I’m not just out there playing ball, everything is being calculated, everything is being studied, and opportunities for others are being created off of my movements. I enjoy making plays, but not so much that I put the success of the team I jeopardy because I’m so hungry to make a play.

What has your offseason plan been to train and prepare for professional opportunities?

It’s no secret to success, just put in quality work. That’s all I’ve been doing and that’s all I’m going to continue to do. That includes working out, eating right, living right, watching those that are where I want to be so when it is my time, I’m ready.

What kind of strengths and abilities will you bring to a team that will stand out both on and off the field?

I have the ability to bring people together. When I’m on your team, my goal for the team is to first make it a family because family means more. You push a little harder for family, you struggle a little longer for family, you have a better understanding of your family and this gives you access to pull in those strings that get them going.

How do you handle challenges both in life and on the football field?

Head on with God.

What is your favorite coverage and why?

1/2 field coverages. At nickel, it allows you to play faster knowing that you don’t have to work outside because you have a corner there so now you have a little more freedom and time to play around with the progressions of the QB. As a 1/2 field safety once you get on top of your work and have read out the concepts of the routes you can play with more anticipation on where the ball is going to go, and sometimes you can even steal back to the middle of the field of indicators.

What should we know about Jacorey Crawford the person?

He’s God Fearing and Relentless. When he starts something, he won’t let himself stop until it’s done the right way.

What weakness(es) do you have as a player and how are you addressing/improving on it?

Remembering that this game is supposed to be fun before anything else. So I go back to home to watch Pop Warner games just because I know their only intent on playing is to have fun. I work with high school teams because I know that high school has the combination of connectivity amongst coaches and teammates as well as enjoying being on the grass with the same people you grew up with. This is what centers me. Being able to watch the game of football being shared amongst people that enjoy the sport and the ones playing and coaching alongside them is what keeps having fun on the forefront of my mind.

What is your final pitch to the NFL and any other pro leagues?

I’m truly a diamond in the rough. I’m available for any and every position on the field and have the capability to continuously perform at a high level wherever I am on the field. I can do it all.

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