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2020 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Nicolas Mongelli, K, SUNY Cortland

Nicolas Mongelli the K/P from SUNY Cortland recently sat down with Draft Diamonds owner Damond Talbot
  • Name: Nicolas Mongelli
  • Height: 6ft
  • Weight: 215
  • Position: K/P
  • College: SUNY Cortland
  • Twitter: @Gelli99

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

• I am from Marlboro NY a small town in the Hudson Valley. The thing I love most about Marlboro is how much the community cares about each other. It is like one big family.

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

• 1. Practice 2. Film 3. Strength and Conditioning. Practice is where a player perfects their craft, especially being a kicker every step and every motion is equally as important if one part of a kicker or punters form is wrong, the whole operation could be ruined. Film is second to me because this is where a player can study themselves to correct anything to perfect their game as well as studying there opponent before game day. The reason I put strength and conditioning last is not because I do not think it is not as important as practice and film. It is because if a player’s fundamentals and technique is not on point then it does not matter have physically fit a player is. A player needs all three of these phases to work in unison to be successful.

What do you worry about, and why?

• I worry about letting down the ones I care about whether it be friends or family because they have always supported me and been there when I needed them. So when they need me I will always be there to help no matter the circumstances. I never want to let the people I care about down because that will mean I failed as a friend or family member and I do not like failure.

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

• My freshman year at Cortland I started in our bowl game which was the last game of the season and I had missed a couple field goals and it was a part of us losing the game. After that game I wanted to come back for my next three seasons and be the best I could be for my team. In the three following seasons I was an All-Conference punter in 2017, Player Of the Year in 2018, and was an All-Conference kicker in 2019. I realized after my freshman season that I needed to perfect my craft to the best of my ability and that is what I had done not only for myself but for my team as well. 

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• My teammates say my best quality is my mindset. I take a lot of pride in my mindset on and off the field, it allows me to stay focused on my goal to be the best. If a rep does not go my way I quickly wipe it from my memory because the next rep means more and you cannot change the ones that have past. 

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

• The best player I have played against in college is Joe Germinerio he beat us for the conference championship when he was with Brockport as their QB then transferred to Ithaca college and beat us as their QB at MetLife Stadium.

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

• I study Sports Management at SUNY Cortland and would like to work in the sport media field. Other than Sport Media I would like to be a sport analyst or and athletic director.

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

• 1. Room 2. Desk 3. Car. I clean my room first because it is a good way to start the day because after cleaning my room I know that I will not be coming home to a messy room. It is satisfying to come home to a clean room. Then I make sure my desk is cleaned and organized because that is where I do my work for school or my job. It would be tough to get work done if my desk was a mess because I would lose track of what I had to do. Then I clean my car, I clean my car once or twice a week to make sure it is not dirty. It does not have to be taken care of as often as my room or desk. 

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

• If there was a disaster I would save my family member because to me family is everything. My family is my biggest support group with everything I do and one day I would like to show them that all there dedication, practices, games, training, and travelling they have put into me pursuing my pro career has paid off.

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

• If I could be any movie character I would choose to be Captain America. I chose him because he is a strong and trustworthy leader. He also never gives up when the going gets tough and I do the same. He always believes there is a way to succeed no matter how difficult the situation is and I like to embody those characteristics.

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

• My biggest adversity in my life started the day I was born. I was born with a brachial plexus injury in my right arm. Because of this injury I was prevented the ability to straighten my right arm and rotate my shoulder in certain ways, it also did not help that I was right hand dominant. So early into my life with the help of my family and doctors I was able to adapt and become left handed. I went on to play soccer, football, basketball, and baseball from youth sports and throughout high school. I was a first team all state athlete in baseball, basketball and football, and was also an all american baseball player in high school. I then went on to play college baseball and football at SUNY Cortland. Overall when I was tested since infancy and was told by doctors I would probably not play many sports in my life, I had adapted and proved them wrong and still continue to do so to this day. This has helped be throughout my life because that is the biggest adversity ever in my life and I overcame it, any other situations that come about I attack them head on because they could never compare to what I have overcome in my life.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• My most embarrassing moment is probably when I Came out of the locker room for a home game in sweatpants because it was cold and forgot to put my game pants on under them so I had to rush into the locker room and change before the game started.

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

• My most memorable play is when we were playing our conference rival this past season and we were winning 23-0 in the first half. As the half was coming to an end we had a chance to extend our league so my coach put me on the field to attempt a career long of 46 yards and I made it to extend our lead to 26-0 going into halftime. 

What song best describes your work ethic?

• “Won’t Back Down” – Eminem and Pink 

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

• A Positive mindset is most important in succeeding at the next level. It does not matter if you are the most talented because if you do not have a good mind set you will not be successful at any level let alone the professional level. If a play does not go your way you cannot harp on it, you must move on and continue to strive for greatness.

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

• If I could bring back one person from the dead it would be my grandmother because she was a big part of my life growing up because she was at every game of mine in a ny sport and also drove me to practices whenever she was asked to. She always supported my dreams of playing at the professional level so if I were to be able have the opportunity to play professional football i know she would be proud of me.

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

• If I were to open my own dance club I would name it “Kick it” because it would embody what I do as a football player as well as have the meaning of dancing.

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL?

• The most underrated player in the NFL is James Connor RB for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He does not receive enough credit for the workload he has for the Steelers and his success goes unnoticed sometimes.

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

• I would rather be respected than liked because being respected means that I would be succeeding and others around me would realized that whether they like me or not. If I was just liked and not respected that does not mean I am successful because you do not have to be successful to liked.

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

• I feel for Aaron Hernandez. Yes, I know he was a murderer but it was because he had a lot of built up emotional stress and anger inside of his as well as suffering from a serious case of CTE. No one stopped to ask him if he was doing okay, instead they just sat back and watched him destroy his career because he had no real guidance in his life to steer him in the right direction. 

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

• I hate to lose, this is because if you are not losing then you are winning. Losing means that I did not train hard enough and that is unacceptable. Losing mean failure but at the same time you can learn from losing and get back to the drawing board and work on weaknesses.

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

• The biggest influence in my life has to be my Dad. He instilled the competitive nature in me when I was a young athlete. He taught me the principles of sport and also helped me grow to not only be the athlete I am today but also the man I am today. He showed me what it is like to be strong minded and always work hard and stay on course no matter what difficulties I encounter on the way to success.   

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