NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Isaac Harker, QB, Colorado School of Mines

•  Name: Isaac Harker                      

        •       Height: 6’0”

        •       Weight: 195

        •       Position: QB

        •       College: Colorado School of Mines

        •       Twitter: @IsaacHarker05

Tell us about your hometown, and what you love most about it?

        •        My hometown is Lebanon, IN and what I love most about it is how supportive the community is.

List these three in order of importance and why: Film Study, Strength and Conditioning and Practice?

1)      Film Study

2)      Practice

3)      Strength and Conditioning

I ranked them as follows because at my position, I feel that film study unlocks the true potential of a player. Via studying yourself and opposing defenses, you are able to play faster and have an advantage both pre and post snap. Practice would be second on my tier list because this is where you can put your film study to the test. Repetition allows you to get better and making mistakes in practice can help ensure you excel moving forward if you’re the type of player who won’t make the same mistakes twice. 

What do you worry about, and why?

        •        The thing I worry about the most is being outworked, and I simply can’t let that happen. I know I’m undersized at my position so I’m always trying to be the hardest working player in the country, at any level. I know that to fully excel I need to make the most of every opportunity, so I will always do everything in my power to be prepared for anything.

Give me an example of when you failed at something. How did you react and how did you overcome failure?

        •       When I was first working on under center footwork in high school I was really choppy and struggling with the 5 step plant footwork. I kept failing at it initially but continued to rep it, both slowly and then at full speed until it stuck. Over the years, I’ve now developed that drop into one of my strengths.

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

        •        My teammates would say that my competitiveness is my best quality. My competitiveness drives my work ethic and I will always do whatever it takes to win. 

Who is the best player you have ever played against in college?

        •        Derek Rivers from Youngstown State who was drafted by the Patriots in the 3^rd round of the 2017 draft.

What would your career be if you couldn’t play football? 

        •        If I couldn’t play football I would definitely be involved in coaching the position of quarterback in some capacity along with utilizing my masters in economics. 

Room, desk, and car – which do you clean first?

        •        Desk because I feel like a clear work space helps with efficiency.

If there was a disaster and you could either save three strangers or one family member, which would you choose and why?

        •        I would save one family member. This would always be a hard choice but my family is so important to me in all aspects of life I would need to save the family member. 

If you could be any television or movie character, who would you be and why?

        •        I would be James Bond because he’s smart and is always able to get the job done. 

Tell me about your biggest adversity in life and how you’ve dealt with or overcome it?

        •        The biggest adversity in my life would probably be facing the end result of being a walk-on coming out of high school for football even though I knew I was good enough to be a D-1 player. I dealt with it and overcame it by out-working everyone and earning a scholarship and eventually starting in different offensive systems run by three different offensive coordinators.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

        •       Once in middle school we were given an assignment by a substitute teacher that was essentially a trick assignment and I was one of the few people who was tricked by it. 

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

        •        My most memorable play came against the University of Minnesota. It was 3^rdand goal on the 8 and from film study I knew they liked to play off corner into the boundary with a linebacker dropping underneath and I ripped a back shoulder for a touchdown to tie the score 7-7 in the first quarter.

What song best describes your work ethic?

        •        “We Can’t Stop”

What is the most important trait you can have (Physical or Non-Physical) to help you succeed at the next level? 

        •        Being able to pick up and effectively run an offensive playbook quickly is the most important trait for me to succeed at the NFL level. I’ve previously started in 3 different schemes under 3 different offensive coordinators and am currently working to understand how to process verbiage at the NFL level. 

If you could bring one person back from the dead for one day, who would it be and why?

        •        I would bring back Bill Walsh and would want to discuss the West Coast offense that he created.

If you were to open a dance club, what would you name it? 

        •        TNT

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

        •        Alex Smith. He has had to play under so many different offensive coordinators and with different players yet consistently has led his team to winning records by playing clean football.

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

        •        I’d rather be respected because to command the huddle containing 10 other professionals, they have to respect who you are as a player and be willing to follow you. 

What player who had his career derailed by off-field issues do you feel for the most and why?

        •        Vince Young. I feel that if he were able to get the psychological help he needed to escape the stress and anxiety he could have been a great player.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

        •        I love to win. Winning a game after spending an entire week preparing both physically and mentally can’t really be compared to.

Who has been the biggest influence on your life and explain why?

        •       My father has been the biggest influence on my life because he (along with my mother) instilled hard work into my life and taught me that being a winner in life was a pre-requisite for being a winner on the field.