NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Alex Snyder, QB, Tufts University

NFL Draft Diamonds website has been providing our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 3 years and this year we mixed things up a bit. Our questions are designed to give our readers a little more insight on the draft eligible player. We hope to bring you more than 500 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 to the right.  Now let’s meet our next prospect!!!!

What is your name? 

Alex Snyder

What is your Height/Weight? 

6’4 ¾ 226

What is your position? 

Quarterback

Where do you play college football? 

Tufts University

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

One of my offensive lineman introduced me to a center for adults with mental disabilities. He had volunteered there before. The center was near our practice facility and I had no idea until he told me about it. I volunteered there a few times and invited a couple of my teammates to come along. It was eye-opening and provided me with great perspective.

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

Romanticism & Revolution. It was a political science class which was centered around the political ideologies of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. But to be honest, every class at Tufts was challenging.

Where are you from? 

Colorado Springs, CO

Who is your role model, and why? 

Tim Tebow. He is an amazing person. I was fortunate to meet him last summer, and he was as genuine and authentic as someone could be. He is a great role model.

Did you play any other sports growing up? 

Baseball, Basketball, soccer, track, you name it. I was a competitive kid.

Did you play any other positions in football? 

I played a lot of positions at a young age, DE, TE, WR, FS, CB. I even remember playing left tackle at one point. But I always knew I wanted to be a Quarterback, and have played that ever since 8th grade.

At your position, what separates you from others? 

I think that what separates me is that I have been prepped over the past few months by ex-NFL QB’s. Exposure to NFL playbooks and training has been beneficial. I think a lot of young QB’s get caught up in thinking that their college offenses will work at the next level. At the next level things are different, and I am fortunate to have already been exposed to NFL playbooks as part of my pre-draft training so that I will be able to hit the ground running. I am excited to get a chance to be coached, and to play in a Pro system because it will undoubtedly fit my game better. I can’t wait to see how much my game will improve, and how quickly it will improve, with that type of coaching.

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

When I watch film of NFL defenses as a part of my NFL prep, I focus a lot on fronts and blitzes. Coverages are obviously important to know and dissect, but being able to identify fronts, DL stunts, dogs, and blitzes will be imperative at the next level.

When I watch NFL QB’s, I focus on footwork and their eyes. My footwork has been the most important part of my training due to the fact that I played out of the gun more often than not in college. I think the great QB’s use their eyes very effectively in order to manipulate defenses.

Who was the toughest player you ever faced? 

Tom Kleyn from Amherst was a great linebacker. He always ended up around the ball, and was very smart. There were a lot of good defensive players at Amherst and other teams in our league.

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

I have always tried to replicate my game after Tom Brady. I can still remember watching the Patriots play the Pittsburgh Steelers when I was in the 5th grade. Immediately following the game my older brother and I went outside and I tried to replicate Tom Brady’s throwing motion as best that I could. Even now, twelve years later, I watch film of him once a week. In addition, Tom Brady knows the game and defenses so well, and that is something I have always tried to emphasis and know inside and out.

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

Staying true to myself and learning to trust my faith have been obstacles for me in recent years. I have a great support staff in my family to help with things like that.

Do you have any pre-game rituals? 

I review all my notes that I’ve made throughout the week, and make sure I know all my reads and adjustments. I try to do the same thing to get my body ready for games each week, not because I am superstitious, but because I have figured out how to get ready and I replicate it.

What is your biggest strength? 

My height/size and my football IQ.

What is your biggest weakness? 

In the eyes of a scout, playing Division-3, and my numbers at Tufts would be considered a “weakness” but I think that is just a representation of the offensive system that I played in. That is out of my control so I am not too worried about that at this stage in the process.

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

All I want to do is win. That’s what drives me. I now want to win at the highest level possible and keep winning for my teammates. I love making the commitment each year to do everything I can to help my team win. That comes with a lot of sacrifices that most people aren’t willing to take, and I love it.

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

I loved watching Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Growing up watching those two was a blessing.

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

Jesus, Mozart, and Lincoln

What will be the first big item you buy once you are in the NFL?

I will pay off my student loans.