2023 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Kerry Thompson Jr., DE, Allen University

• Name: Kerry Thompson Jr.
• Position: Defensive End
• College: Allen University
• Height: 6’5
• Weight: 261.2lbs
• Twitter: @lilspicewiththeice
• Instagram: @spiiiiiice_

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

• My adaptability to any on-the-field-situation combined with my high football IQ makes me a top prospect. I am extremely capable of pass rushing and stopping the run because I do what is necessary. If the team needs a tackle for loss, I will do my best to achieve that and same goes for sacks. I am useful in every position on the field no matter what scheme. 

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

• Five years old

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

• I am a quick learner and can turn around and produce greatly based on what I learned on and off the field. I can adapt to new environments or quick decision-making situations and come out on top even through hardship and adversity.

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

• Mental Health because everyone has their own struggles and battles they deal with in their own personal lives. With the stigma around mental health itself and especially in males and student-athletes, it is crucial to advocate, educate, and create more avenues to access getting help.

What is the best advice you have ever received? 

• ”Sometimes you have to close a door to open a window.” This resonates with me because in order to progress, sometimes you have to sacrifice certain things in life to get what you are truly looking for.

Who was your childhood hero? 

• Tyler the Creator because he always inspired me to be myself and to continue striving towards my goals no matter what. He never let anything derail his road to success. 

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

• A new freshman named Roosvelt Joseph. He is a very hard worker who is always in the coaches pocket finding new things to learn and improve on.

What is your biggest pet peeve? 

• Lack of accountability because although it is easier to put the blame on someone else, it is solely your responsibility to own up to your mistakes and improve on them.

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

• My relationship with my mother was the hardest thing to overcome.

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

• There is never a dull moment when you are at the university because of the many different personalities on campus and there is always something going on.

What is your favorite snack food? 

• Haribo gummy bears

What is the best part of football? 

• The best part of football is the training process because of all the work that goes into preparation. You get to see your progression and improvement and knowing that what you do off the field shows what you can do on the field. 

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

• Whatever job you need done will be done all while exceeding expectations to the best of my ability.

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

• Aaron Donald because I match his explosiveness, work, playmaking ability, and his use of pass rush moves in the right situations.

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

1. Hitler because I want to know what grew his hatred for people to the point of initiating the Holocaust, something so extreme and foul.
2. Tyler the Creator because I want to know what inspires his drive to continue pursuing his career and persevering.
3. Bill Gates because I want to know what influenced his decision to drop out of college, especially an Ivy League like Harvard, when he was already halfway through and if he regrets that decision.