2020 NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Rashod Dickerson, DB, University of Rhode Island
- Name: Rashod Dickerson
- Height: 5’11
- Weight: 190
- Position: Defensive Back
- College: The University of Rhode Island
- Twitter: @str8comeup
Tell us about your hometown, and what you love most about it?
• Seat Pleasant, MD is my hometown it’s wear I spent some of my years growing up. This isn’t the greatest community but it teaches you the importance of life. I love how everyone has the mentality to make it out and hustles hard at their craft to make it possible.
List these three in order of importance and why: Film Study, Strength and Conditioning and Practice?
• Conditioning and strength, practice, and film study. The game of football is played with strength and speed and conditioning and strength is where you start. Off season is important to do this because you have to beat out the opponent in front of you every play without fatigue, and if fatigue you have to be in better shape than the next man. Film study would be next on my list, this is because when you are blessed with talent your IQ takes your game to another level. When you consistently study your opponent it makes the game easier and slower and your reaction to reads become faster. Then all of this just makes the practice part easy. You are in shape and have studied film now you can practice at full throttle as if it was game day. Practice is at the bottom of my list but could also be at the top. You must have consistent repetition to make the game plan understandable.
What do you worry about, and why?
• I really have no worries, being a football player and especially at the defensive back position you must have confidence. There should never be worries in my eyes. Growing up I was taught to fear God and not failure. Without failure there is no success.
Give me an example of when you failed at something. How did you react and how did you overcome failure?
• There are numerous times where I’ve failed but one of the most important times I failed is when I gave up on my dream. My freshman year of high school I was only 5 feet and 103 lbs so playing football at the high school level was tough due to the players being bigger than me I couldn’t compete at the level I wanted to, this led me to quit. But I had a talk with myself and the summer going into my sophomore year I workout out nearly everyday and built my confidence. This help me become the successful player I am today.
What do your teammates say is your best quality?
• My best quality would be motivation and just keeping my teammates uplifted. I have fought through so much adversity in life to learn that life is short and you must live it to the fullest.
Who is the best player you have ever played against in college?
• The best player I’ve played against in college would probably be my teammate and long close friend Aaron Parker. We’ve been competing against each other every single day since high school.
What would your career be if you couldn’t play football?
• My career would be juvenile probation and or parole officer. I would want to lead troubled young men in the right direction to show them its more to the world than the environment they come from.
Room, desk and car – which do you clean first?
• Room is the first thing I clean because it’s my temple it’s where I lay my head it must be treated the best.
If there was a disaster and you could either save three strangers or one family member, which would you choose and why?
• I would choose one family member because they have seen me on my back and gave me that helping hand when I needed it the most. My family is my everything and I value each and every last one of them.
If you could be any television or movie character, who would you be and why?
• I would be Brian from the movie “Taken”. He works hard and does whatever he cans to take care of his loved ones no matter how challenging the obstacles are he never gives up!
Tell me about your biggest adversity in life and how you’ve dealt with or overcome it?
• My biggest adversity is when I suffered a season ending injury my Junior year of college on a all conference run. I was told I would never play football again. But this gave me motivation to go even harder. I read a quote in the Bible which stated to “Walk by faith, not by sight” this one quote uplifted me to reach for the stars. It’s not about what challenges you see ahead of you but the faith you have in yourself to complete it.
What is your most embarrassing moment?
• My most embarrassing moment is probably when I fell down the bleachers at a basketball game and the whole gym laughed.
What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?
• The most memorable play of my college career is against UConn my junior year. We were in an offensive shootout, down by two touchdowns after half we knew defense needed a stop. We were in cover 3 so I pressed bailed the receiver and the quarter back threw a comeback to the sideline. As I broke on the ball I seen it was a little high so I broke to the area where I knew the ball would be. I intercepted my first college ball and kept my team in the game.
What song best describes your work ethic?
• Lil Baby – Sum 2 Prove
What is the most important trait you can have (Physical or Non-Physical) to help you succeed at the next level?
• My speed has always played a major role but my physicality and ability to tackle will definitely help me at the next level. I can move around in the box take on blocks and run down on special teams.
If you could bring one person back from the dead for one day, who would it be and why?
• It would be grandfather. I would bring him back because he was the definition of a hard worker. He worked a numerous amount of jobs where he barely seen his bed to provide for six kids and wife. He was like my best friend and he always told me I would be something in life.
If you were to open a dance club, what would you name it?
• Faith Night Club
Who is the most underrated player in the NFL?
• John Johnson safety for the LA Rams.
Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?
• I would rather be respected. If you earn respect it could take you a long way, and you could be looked up as a positive role model for many individuals.
What player who had his career derailed by off-field issues do you feel for the most and why?
• I would say Kenny Britt. He had a numerous amount of issues due to the NFL being on a lockout. For a lot of these players football is all they have so without it they don’t know how to manage their time. These players use this sport to outlet their problems and without it it’s hard for them to be sane.
Do you love to win, or hate to lose?
• I love to win. It feels good to see all your hard work pay off so why not celebrate it. No one should hate to lose because it’s always a learning piece behind every loss and you can always bounce back even harder than before.
Who has been the biggest influence on your life and explain why?
• My mom has definitely been the biggest influence on my life. Through adversity she still managed to raise two kids on her own, provide them with clothes, place to live, food in their stomach, and a smile on their face. My mom is a magician because she always turns nothing to something.
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