NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Jaleel Reddick, DB, Lincoln University

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?

My name is Jaleel Reddick.

What is your Height/Weight?

5’10 185lbs

What is your position?

My positions are Defensive Back and Return Specialist

Where do you play college football?

I played for Morgan State University and transferred to Lincoln University.

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

Off the field I’ve done tons of community service and during my summers I love helping with youth football programs to give the youth that feeling of having a big brother, father figure, or just the satisfaction of a helping hand.

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

The hardest class I ever had to take was by far statistics.

Where are you from?

I am from Newark, New Jersey born and raised.

Who is your role model, and why?

My role model is my mother. I never had my father in my life due to incarceration. Me and his time together was very brief. My mom was there to hold me down and keep my spirits up because times definitely got dark and hard. I watched her work extremely hard to take care of us. I never met a woman so strong; she is truly a superwoman just without the cape.

Did you play any other sports growing up?

Other sports I played while growing up were basketball, track, boxing and baseball.

Did you play any other positions in football?

Other positions I played in football were Running back, Wide receiver and also quarterback.

At your position, what separates you from others?

At my position the thing that separates me from others is the DOG I have inside of me. When I say the word DOG it’s in reference to the relentless constant burning fire I have in me to be great and to accept nothing less than that!

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

When I am breaking down film; being a defensive back I tend to spend my time keying in on the strengths and weaknesses of my opponents (wide receivers, Tight ends, Running backs). I look for tendencies of Quarterbacks in their drops and look off’s. While watching out for those tendencies, I also look at play calling tendencies according to field position. I try to narrow it down to percentages of run and pass and the areas of the field being attacked. I also like to look at what route combinations teams throw together.

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

The toughest opponent I ever faced in my life of football is currently in the NFL. His name is Joshua Evans. He plays safety for Jacksonville Jaguars but in high school he was a quarterback; a very good one at that.

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

If I could compare my play to one player in the NFL it would be Tyrann Matheiu. My reason for choosing Tyrann is because the same fire I see in myself I see in him. On the field he plays fast, fearless, and physical despite his size and that’s exactly how I am on the field. Hungry and Passionate! A DOG!

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

The biggest obstacle I ever faced in my life was growing up in a rough neighborhood like Newark, NJ without a father. A lot of things about being a man and becoming one a mother can’t teach as well as a man can. It comes through life experiences so that one can learn for them self. Every experience isn’t always a good one though. I’m thankful for every struggle though because it made me. I overcame it by being just as tough and tougher than the people and my environment itself. I made my mind stronger than everyone around me by keeping myself focused on what I wanted for myself and my mom. I promised her that I would use this ball to get me places and I promised her we would never lay in a house with no lights cold again. It’s hard but nothing in life easy is worth having in my eyes.

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

Before every game it’s a must I speak to my mom, my fiancée and my daughter. I look at pictures of my father imagining what he is doing at the time and think of what he might say to me before a game. Knowing he is locked away in a box fuels an unexplainable rage and fire through my body that carries on to the field. I kiss two of my daughters barrettes that I carry to every game, then I say a prayer to Allah…After that my mind and body is ready for war.

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

Coming from a small school I play with a chip on my shoulder at all times; I feel as though I don’t have certain advantages players of bigger Universities have so I always feel the need to go twenty times harder. Obstacles I feel I will have to overcome are the doubts of whether I can play with the higher level of competition. I’ve always been an underdog but I’ve always refused to be defeated and here I am.

What is your biggest strength?

Work ethic is one of my major strengths. I’m a work horse and I refuse to be out worked by any man! I will punish myself before I let another man get the best of me. We all put our uniform on the same way. I also have an outstanding ability to adapt quick.

What is your biggest weakness?

One of my weaknesses is being vocal. I tend to pull away from that because I lead by example. I do understand that being vocal as well as leading by example can positively effect a team. That is something I am currently working on but like everything it comes with time.

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

Hopefully it’s a long second, but if you were a GM and I had a second to sell myself, I would say Draft me! I’m that diamond in the rough your looking for. I will give you everything in me until there is nothing left and even when there is nothing I will dig deep and give you something! I’m a DOG!

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

Sean Taylor was my favorite player growing up and currently still is who I watch the night before games. The Eagles were and currently still are my favorite team.

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

If I could have dinner with three people dead or alive I would choose my father, Sean Taylor, and My mother. It would give me and my mom the chance to have at least one dinner with my father as a family. It will also give me a chance to pick Sean Taylor’s brain for information and pointers about improving my game.

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

The first big item I will buy when I am in the NFL is my mom a big house in Miami.

Rapid Answers:

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