NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Shamdu Nalls, OL, Virginia Union University
• Name: Shamdu Nalls
• Height: 6’4
• Weight: 315
• Position: OL
• College: Virginia Union University
• Twitter: 58Nalls
Tell us about your hometown, and what you love most about it?
• I am from Staten Island, Ny and what I love about it most is that it’s the city of dreams.
List these three in order of importance and why: Film Study, Strength and Conditioning and Practice?
• The importance of film study is to critique the technical mistakes you may make and also to study your opponents game and learn their techniques, and how you can counteract. Strength and conditioning is very important because you want to be at your top performance when playing the game. The importance of practice is to continuously get better and work on the things you may be lacking in your game so that when it’s game time everything comes second nature, repetition is essential.
What do you worry about, and why?
• I worry about letting my team down and not being at the top of my game because it’s about working as a family to get the job done by any means necessary.
Give me an example of when you failed at something. How did you react and how did you overcome failure?
• I was taking at strategic management class and in the beginning semester wasn’t doing so well on my assignments so I took the initiative to go to the writing and tutoring center to get help and critique the errors I was making to ensure I pass the class. I ended up receiving an A in the course.
What do your teammates say is your best quality?
• I am a hard worker and would do anything to ensure team success.
Who is the best player you have ever played against in college?
• I would say the best player I went against in college would be my teammate Miles Pace a transfer from UCF.
What would your career be if you couldn’t play football?
• I would want to open up a financial firm advising pro athletes on how to budget and invest in businesses so that they can continue to make money after retirement.
Room, desk, and car – which do you clean first?
• Room because I like for things to be in order and be able to find the things I need to start my day when I wake up.
If there was a disaster and you could either save three strangers or one family member, which would you choose and why?
• My mother because she’s the reason I’m here today and always been by my side regardless. She’s always believed in me and I can never turn my back on her.
If you could be any television or movie character, who would you be and why?
• I would be Superman because he’s invincible and saves lives daily. He just exemplifies excellent character and would do anything to help someone else.
Tell me about your biggest adversity in life and how you’ve dealt with or overcome it?
• The biggest adversity I dealt with in life is moving constantly and having to adapt to different environments. I overcame it because I didn’t allow it to cripple me and still became successful.
What is your most embarrassing moment?
• When I crossed Alpha and had to probate with a bald head and face in front of the whole school.
What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?
• I would say my most memorable play is when I went out on a left tackle screen last year against Virginia State and took it to the house for a 2 point conversion. I felt like I was on top of the world.
What song best describes your work ethic?
• unstoppable by YFN Lucci
What is the most important trait you can have (Physical or Non-Physical) to help you succeed at the next level?
• The fight and drive to never give up
If you could bring one person back from the dead for one day, who would it be and why?
• My Grandmother Charlotte because I just want her to see all I’ve accomplished and to see that beautiful smile one last time. She was such an amazing woman and miss her a lot.
If you were to open a dance club, what would you name it?
• Ice Lounge
Who is the most overrated player in the NFL?
• Colt McCoy
Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?
• I would rather be respected because in life you may not like everyone you encounter but at the end of the day you still have to respect them as a person.
What player who had his career derailed by off-field issues do you feel for the most and why?
• Kareem Hunt because he was a great athlete and messed up his career due to a domestic violence issue. I feel for him because his life’s hard work went down the drain for one bad night.
Do you love to win, or hate to lose?
• Hate to lose because I feel like I let my team down and maybe there was more I can do to ensure that we were victorious.
Who has been the biggest influence on your life and explain why?
* My mother and grandmother because they have been in my corner ever since I was born and never turned their back on me. They always stood on top of me and pushed me no matter what. They showed me what it was like to be strong and to never quit on my dreams. They always told me to never allow someone to determine my future.
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