2022 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Deion Hill, DL, University of La Verne

- Name: Deion Hill
- Position: DL
- College: University of La Verne
- Height: 6’1”
- Weight: 255
- Twitter: @cantblockHill
- Instagram: @cantblockhill
What makes you a top prospect at your position in the 2022 NFL Draft?
- My effort, Speed Get off, mostly IQ
At what age were you first interested in the sport of football?
- Ever since I can remember it was mesmerizing to me as a kid
What is one thing that NFL teams should know about you?
- I love to stop the run, it is my passion to stop the run. I love special teams
If you could donate to one cause in the world, what would it be?
- The cause to end world hunger and homelessness. Those things should never be a privilege and everyone deserves to eat and have a place to sleep
What is the best advice you have ever received?
- You get what you put in
Who was your childhood hero?
- My father. He taught me everything about everything. He taught me how to work hard and stay focused.
Who is the most underrated teammate in your locker room at your school?
- Dandre Brown and Michael Wood. Both of these guys extremely athletic and always make the plays that come to them. They both have very high IQ levels and have the ability to see plays before they happen.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
- Not being able workout or watch film/being injured
Overcoming adversity is what defines character, what was the hardest moment in your life to overcome?
- I was homeless at one point. This was the hardest thing I ever had to overcome, I was getting leftovers from volunteering to take out the trash for resort kitchen while I was working in another department at the resort and I would sleep in the RV park overnight to be at work on time in the mornings and constantly ask for overtime.
Tell me something about your school and why it is so special to you?
- It’s special there because it is an athletes haven. The facilities are great, they are never closed and there is just an unspoken level of focus with all athletic teams. It’s the perfect place perfect your craft.
What is your favorite snack food?
- Pineapples hands down
What is the best part of football?
- Everything. I love the game within the game, I love the physicality, I love trying to perfect the technique everyday, getting to use weight rooms in the off-seasons, the lifelong bonds that get formed from literally running into each other every single day for two or three hours. Just studying and learning someone’s every move on film. This is one of the only games where you can be the best player on the field and change the whole game without ever touching the ball.
If you could sell yourself in one sentence what would you say?
- No one will out work me.
If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be?
- Sheldon Richardson. His get off and the violent usage of his hands and power at the point of attack as well as similarities in height and leverage.
If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would it be and why?
- Jim Valvano, Craig Roh, Sean Taylor. All of these guys have or had elite work ethics and gave huge sacrifice to better themselves for their craft by how they attacked and perfected the process. They would be great people to learn from with allowing passions to make you better and not just having an obsession.

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