2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Morgan James, OL, University of Cincinnati

• Name: Morgan James
• Height: 6’5
• Weight: 320 lbs
• Position: OG
• College: University of Cincinnati 
• Twitter: morgan_james78

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

• Highland, Michigan is a small town northwest of Detriot. It’s a nice mix of country and suburbs with lots of lakes and wooded land that is great for exploring and hunting. Even though I’m not much of a hunter, it is an outdoorsman’s paradise.

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

• Practice, film study, and strength and conditioning. In my opinion, hard practice is how you develop as a young football player. Then you watch the film, make the corrections and do it again. Strength and conditioning is obviously very important too. But you can be strong and fast and not be a good football player.

What do you worry about, and why?

• I worry about failure and not being able to provide the absolute best for my family.

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

• I failed at becoming a professional ice hockey player. I reacted by putting everything I had into becoming a great football player. It took more hard work and dedication than I could have ever imagined but it has been an extremely positive and rewarding experience.

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• Toughness and grit.

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

• Davon Hamilton from Ohio State. Big, strong, and hard to move.

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

• Strength and conditioning coach.

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

Car first, then desk, then room.

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

• Thats a tough one, but I would have to save my family member. My family is too important to me to let one go for any reason.

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

• The Incredible Hulk, because he would make a hell of a offensive guard.

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

• The death of my father. Time heals all wounds.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• Loosing a hockey fight during my minor league career. I hate losing anything.

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

• Touchdown block all the way down the field on a screen pass during the 2018 Military Bowl vs. Virginia Tech. 

What song best describes your work ethic?

• Unforgiven by Metallica.

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

• Physical and mental toughness.

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

• My dad. He was taken from us way to early and I would want to share stories with him.

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

• The Dancing Bear.

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

• Marshal Yanda. Dispite age and many injuries, remains a dominant offensive guard. 

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

• Respected. It takes something more to respect someone.

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

• Jason Pierre-Paul. Nearly had his career ended by an accident that occurred when lighting off fireworks. His off field issue was truly an accident while many of the other derailed careers resulted from very poor, but intentional decisions.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

• Love to win.

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

• My 2 sons, I will go to any extent to see them happy.