2023 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: James Gmiter, LG, West Virginia University

• Name: James Gmiter
• Position: LG
• College: West Virginia University 
• Height: 6’03”
• Weight: 315
• Twitter: Gmiter74
• Instagram: Gmiter74 

What makes you a top prospect at your position in the 2023 NFL Draft? 

-I think the thing that makes me a top prospect is my work ethic and football IQ that I have. Another thing that I think can elevate my draft stock is my versatility on the interior of the line. I am able to play Left Guard, Center, Right Guard seamlessly. 

At what age were you first interested in the sport of football?

-I was first introduced to football when I was around 6 years old. 

What is one thing that NFL teams should know about you?

-I think the biggest thing that teams should now about me is that I believe in hard work and being the hardest worker in the room and if I’m not pushing the person that is with my work ethic!

If you could donate to one cause in the world, what would it be? 

-I think I would donate to WVU children’s hospital. They do great work over there that is where I had both of my children at and they are building a brand new children’s hospital that is state of the art so being able to be apart of that would be awesome!

What is the best advice you have ever received? 

-The best advice that I have ever received came from our head strength coach at WVU. He told us to never let someone have the satisfaction that they broke you. Never show that your tired or beaten in front of them. 

Who was your childhood hero? 

-My childhood hero would have to be my grandfather. 

Who is the most underrated teammate in your locker room at your school? 

-Garret Greene 

What is your biggest pet peeve? 

-My biggest pet peeve would definitely be laziness. 

Overcoming adversity is what defines character, what was the hardest moment in your life to overcome? 

-It would have to be the time that I got COVID at our third game in the 2020 season. I was in a hotel in isolation for two weeks away from my newborn daughter and wife. But I stayed strong and came back and finished the season an all conference player! 

Tell me something about your school and why it is so special to you?

-At WVU we are the only power 5 school and there are no professional teams of any type in the state. With that being said WVU is the focal point of sports. Our fans love you through ups and downs and will support you no matter what, I think that is what really separates WVU from other schools! 

What is your favorite snack food? 

-My favorite snack food would be salt and vinegar kettle chips. 

What is the best part of football? 

-The best part to me is the shared sacrifice that football brings. Having shared sacrifices with a team or a company gives you something to push you forward, so when things seem hard you can fall back to something that really was hard and say we got through that this is nothing! 

If you could sell yourself in one sentence what would you say? 

-That I am a hardworking, dedicated, family man who will do whatever it takes to provide for them! 

If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be? 

-I think my play would be comparable to Mark Glowinski. 

If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would it be and why? 

-The first person that I would have dinner with would be Joe Moore. Reason being is that he was a big part in the development for the current Oline fundamentals. The amount of hall of farmers that had played under him is astonishing. The next person that I would have dinner with would Quenton Nelson. He is one of the best guards to play in the league and having a dinner with him to pick his brain and learn from him would be a opportunity of a lifetime! The final person would be my grandfather who passed in 2015. His dream was to see me sign my letter of intent to a D1 school and sadly he fell short of that. I would just have one more dinner with him to tell him I did it and that I am on my way to much more! I know he’d be proud of the man I have become!