NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Marchie Murdock Jr., WR, Iowa State University

• Marchie Murdock Jr.
• Iowa State University
• Twitter: @KingMarch2
• Instagram: @KingMarch

What is your name?

• Marchie Murdock Jr.

Where did you play College Football?

• University of Illinois and Iowa State University (Graduate Student-Athlete).

What position do you play?

• Wide Receiver.

What is your height/weight?

• 6’1″ & 195lbs.

Did you play any other sports growing up? If so, what were they?

• Basketball and Track.

Who is the toughest player you have competed against in College?

• This is a hard question, but I would have to say the DB’s I practiced against at Illinois and Iowa State. They knew my game and were always competitive, so it made me focus on getting better at the little things like my hand strength and disguising my routes.

Are you listening to music before a game? If so, what?

• I have a daily playlist that consists of various artist from Sade to Meek Mill. But before a game, I’m listening to Meek Mill or Chief Keef to put me in my zone.

Do you have any superstitions before a game? If so, what are they?

• I always put my left sock on before my right.

Who is your role model & why?

• My mother and father are my role models. They both came from poverty and worked their butts off to get out of it. Knowing they did this to give me my best life motivates me. I took that same approach of working hard in the classroom and on the field. My mother and father have instilled a work ethic in me and I’m extremely grateful for that.

While in College, what has been your favorite & least favorite class?

• My favorite class had to be ‘Gangster Films’ at the University of Illinois. We watched films like American Gangster/Godfather series and took quizzes and wrote papers on them based on various criteria. My least favorite class was Statistics. At first I could not understand it, but my professors were great and helped me understand the basics.

Outside of Football, what has been your favorite experience while in College?

• I think the best experiences I have had was just hanging out with my teammates from both schools I went to. Looking back, it was really a blessing to have friends become brothers from all over the U.S. and even some from other countries. I learned a lot too from the guys that I went to war with on Saturdays and those experiences we shared will be cherish for the rest of my life.

Growing up, who was your favorite NFL Team & NFL player, & why?

• My favorite NFL team was the New Orleans Saints & my favorite player ever is Randy Moss because He was a human highlight reel.

If you could be in any movie of your choice, what would it be & what character would you play?

• Batman because he is my favorite Superhero, and I would most definitely play Batman.

If you could have dinner with three (3) people, dead or alive, who are they? 

• Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and Martin Luther King Jr.

If you could meet any historical figure, who would you choose & why?

• It is a tie between Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King Jr. Both of these men operated under consistent adversity but remained positive in the fight against war and social injustice. I would want to sit and listen to them speak on their experiences and take in that knowledge.

Who is your favorite superhero & why?

• Batman, because he does not need superpowers to beat superhero’s, he is straight raw.

What is your definition of hard work?

• My definition of hard work is doing all the little things others aren’t willing to do. Everyone in my position has dreams and aspirations, but the consistent hard work is what separates the real from the fake.

What is the most unexpected lesson you learned while in College?

• “Play the game to play the game”, I heard this phrase from my Wide Receivers Coach, Coach Bellamy at Illinois. I never knew what he was talking about until one day it finally clicked and it basically means control what you can control, don’t worry about outside factors. Just make sure that you are doing your job and leaving a positive impact on your team.

What is something you wish you could go back & tell yourself as a High School Freshman?

• I would tell myself to start preparing for life. You don’t have to have everything figured out by high school, but always having a plan of action for the next step is so important to your future success.

Why do you wear #16?

• I actually don’t prefer the number 16, my favorite number is #2 because that’s what I wore in high school and growing up in sports. I was given #16 at Illinois and then Iowa State so I wanted to leave my mark at both schools in that number so it does have a special place in my heart.

What is the best part of your hometown, Arlington, TX?

• The best part about my city is our competitiveness. Coming from Arlington, we obviously get overlooked by Dallas and Fort Worth. People tend to think that Arlington athletes are weaker or less athletic, or other crazy things like that. So when we have an opportunity to compete with those cities and bigger cities general, we take it personal. I know when I was getting recruited by colleges I was overlooked and coaches took guys from those bigger schools over me. That was a blessing in disguise because it built the fire inside of me to prove those people wrong and show that guy from Arlington have game too.

Your father (Marchie Sr.) played basketball at Arkansas State in the mid-1980s. How did he help push you to become the man & athlete you are today?

• I wouldn’t be the man I am today without him. He went through adversity while playing ball himself and he always made sure I didn’t repeat those same mistakes.

If you & your Dad were to get on the court today one on one, what would the outcome be?

• It would be me of course, and depending on the type of day I was having he probably wouldn’t score at all. He is an old man now so he can’t really play defense, but even back in the day I would give him buckets.

Are you binge watching anything on Netflix or Hulu right now?

• I love watching Netflix and Hulu shows here is a list of shows/movies that I watch that people should check out from each site.
• On Hulu I watch Gotham, How To Get Away With Murder (when I miss the live show) and The Boondocks. Hulu also has the cartoon classics from nickelodeon and Cartoon Network shows that I grew up on so sometimes I re-watch them to relive the glory days.
• Netflix: The Office, House of Cards, Narcos, Glitch, Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate events, Gypsy, Bates Motel, MindHunter, Seven Seconds, Marco Polo, Making a Murderer and The Get Down. That’s just a few that I’ve seen that the people will enjoy.

If you had one free hour each day, how would you choose to use it?

• I would spend it with my family. You never know how long you will be able to enjoy the company of loved ones, so I would use that hour to be with the people that love me unconditionally.

You are a Family Consumer Science major in grad school at ISU, what made you choose that subject?

• This major taught me how to improve the quality of life for individuals, families and communities by providing practical solutions to problems concerning food science and nutrition, apparel and interior design, child rearing and family relations, and family and consumer economics. I enjoy working with kids because they always have energy so it was the perfect fit of courses for me to take.

If you could catch a TD from one NFL QB, past or present, who would it be & why?

• Drew Brees because I always admired his leadership and the way he could release the ball at all different angles to put his throw on the receivers’ numbers. And the Saints were my favorite team growing up.

If you could give NFL scouts three words to describe the type of man they are getting in Marchie Murdock, what would they be?

• Humble, Energetic, Accountable.