NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Anthony Wint, LB, Florida International University
What is your name?
Anthony Wint
What is your Height/Weight?
5’11”, 235
What is your position?
ILB ,OLB
Where do you play college football?
Florida International University
Where are you from?
Florida City, Florida
Who is your role model, and why?
Someone I really look up to is one of my former teammates Is James Burgess, Jr. He is from the same neighborhood as me, played for the same Pop Warner team, and same high school. He and his father James Burgess, Sr., who played at Miami and spent some time in the NFL really took the time to teach me the fundamentals of linebacker in high school. James Burgess, Jr. went to University of Louisville and now starts for the Cleveland Browns. I look up to James because of the passion he plays the game with and the style of play he has, which is very similar to my own.
Who was your favorite teacher?
Ms. Carr, my dual enrollment ENC1101 teacher at Homestead.
Did you play any other sports growing up?
I played basketball and baseball shortly as a kid, and was a pretty good wrestler in middle school and high school, going 35-1 and taking second in the state of Florida my senior year.
Who was the toughest player you ever faced?
I feel that as a linebacker the hardest back to face is a big one who runs well behind his pads. James Connor of Pitt, who I played my freshman year, and Jordan Howard did exactly that. I would have to say they were the toughest players I faced.
Who is the most underrated player on your team?
Thomas Owens. T.O as we like to call him, #81 was the best receiver hands down in our conference this season. 8 games in, he was up to 800+ receiving yards leading our conference by a good margin. He unfortunately got hurt missed the rest of the season and I feel is getting overlooked due to that. He’s an unselfish player and a heck of a competitor.
What is the one song that would fire you up before the biggest game of your life?
Meek Mill – Dreams and Nightmares
If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be and why?
Like I said before, I’m a “smaller” linebacker by most standards so I tend to look at players with the same tangibles as me. James is one, Telvin Smith, Lavonte David.
What was the biggest obstacle in your life you had to overcome, and how did you overcome it?
When I was very young In elementary, I knew in my heart I was a smart kid but other than math I wasn’t as smart as the kids around me. I was a very poor reader and writer and did not speak very well. I over came that by taking it head on, getting comfortable reading out loud by volunteering, reading books during my free time and keeping a diary to just practice writing about my day.
Do you have any pre-game rituals?
Before every game unless it’s played out loud I don’t listen to my own personal music. It’s weird, but I like to just think to myself, look at my teammates and focus amongst the noise. What usually happens is even though I’m not drowning out the noise with music, I get to a place where I can completely focus and tune out everything.
What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?
My senior year we had about 4-5 game winning stop on defense usually in the goal line. My favorite play would be against UTSA as we stopped them on a four and out and I made the first TFL to set the tone.
What is the coolest thing you ever did off the field for someone else?
I work with my schools FCA and our FCA leader Noah Willbanks allowed me to speak to a local high school, Coral Reef, where I was able to speak the word of God. I really felt I was heard by at least one young men in that room and changed the path of their life.
Who was your favorite NFL team growing up?
The Chargers. I’m a huge LT fan and he was one of the players I had to watch when I started to get into football. That’s also back when I wanted to play RB.
If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would you choose?
Jay-Z , Morgan Freeman, Kevin Hart
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