2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Abdulwahab Marei, DT, Hastings College

• Name: Abdulwahab Marei
• Height: 6’1
• Weight: 315
• Position: DT/NG
• College: Hastings College 
• Twitter: @abdulmarei91

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

•  My hometown is Houston, Texas. What I love most about it is the different type of people that live here and all the different types of opportunities available.

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

•  Film Study- watching the film to critique yourself and see things from the eye in the sky. It shows you a different perspective on your movements. Film study helps you learn and improve your talents if you take it seriously and actually watch your movements. Watching the film on your opponents can help you prepare. You can see their weaknesses and strength and use it against them. As a defensive tackle watching film is really important. Watching the center and two guards on how they block and move can you set you up for success. 

Strength and conditioning- This is important because if you want to perform to your best of ability, you have to be in shape. As a defensive tackle/ nose guard strength is very important. You have to be able to beat double teams and get in the backfield. Conditioning is also important because if you want to be consistent in what you do you have to be in shape.

Practice- For practice, you take the film study and implement it in practice. It’s important because this is where you can work on your craft and use what you learned from the film study during practice. If you want to be great you have to practice like it’s your last one. Taking advantage of practices can help make you a better player because you practice how you play.

What do you worry about, and why?

•  The only thing I worry about is getting bad habits in football, like taking a false step, etc. Because breaking those bad habits can be more difficult than creating them.

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

•  I have failed at a few things in life but I always got up and kept going. One example is that I wasn’t always the strongest person but I was one of the biggest. To me, that was a failure because you can’t be one of the biggest and not have the strength. I overcame that by working out three times a day. I lifted early in the morning, lifted with my football team, and then lifted at night. I put in the extra work that was needed for me to be where I wanted to be. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

•  My leadership and work ethic 

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

•  The Best player I played against was the QB from Morningside this past 2018 season. His ball release was crazy it didn’t matter how fast you got off the ball. He gets rid of it every time. This made me work on my get-offs to try to improve on getting in the backfield quicker.

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

•  Man, I can’t imagine life without football. But my career would be a business owner. I want to open up my own business. 

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

•  Room, Car, Desk

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

• This might sound selfish but I would save my family member because I would die for my family. Family means everything to me.

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

•  If I could be on any television show it would be Game of Thrones because its one of my favorite shows out right now.

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

•  The biggest adversity I have faced in life would be when I moved to the United States and didn’t speak a word of English. I was the new kid who didn’t speak. So I didn’t know what anybody was saying to me. I overcame that by putting in extra hours after school to learn the language and get used to the culture here.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

•  My most embarrassing moment would have had to be when I missed that tackle during my junior year of high school and the other team scored and won the game. I still remember it to this day because thinking about that before games make me not miss tackles because I didn’t like the way I felt towards myself.

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

•  I have a few memorable plays. It was my Freshman year 3rd game of the season. I hit the quarterback so hard for a sack and the ball flew up in the air. It bounced off the head of the defensive end and I caught it. I tried to take off but I got tackled.

What song best describes your work ethic?

•  Grinding all my life- Nipsey Hussle

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

•  The most important trait is a positive attitude. Having a positive attitude can take you a long way. It can help you overcome adversity and reach a potential you never thought you could. 

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

•  I would bring back my grandpa because I didn’t get to say goodbye before he left us.

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

•  The bounce, because I would want people to come and have a good time and jam to the music.

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

•  Damon Harrison aka snacks. He is the best DT/NG in the NFL and doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. He is the best run stopper out there!

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

•  I would rather be respected because respect goes a long way. I don’t care for being liked as long as I’m respected. 

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

•  Kareem Hunt because he was going off that season before he was fired for his off the field issues.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

•  I think these two go together, but I love to win. That feeling you get after putting in all that work to get a positive outcome. There’s nothing like that feeling.

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

• My parents because they have sacrificed so much to get me to the point ima at today.