2024 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Paul-Antoine Ouellette, TE, Université de Montréal

• Name: Paul-Antoine Ouellette
• Position: TE/LS
• College: Université de Montréal 
• Height: 6’4
• Weight: 240 lbs
• Instagram: @pa.ouellette3 

What makes you a top prospect at your position in the 2024 NFL Draft?

– I can be versatile. Even with my size, I can run downfield like a receiver but I can be physical and block linebackers or d-lines like it’s nothing. My state of mind is different from everyone else. Whatever the adversity is, I have the mentality to surpass it. I think this quality is an important key when you play TE because you have to be fast to beat a DB and you have to be strong for the trenches.

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

– I think I was 11 or 12 years old. 

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

– I am someone who cares about details. Even in my training, I leave nothing for granted. I’m someone who always wants to find a way to be the best player possible.

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

– For the cancer research. I know perfectly how cancer can be tough because I lost my two Grandparents in a gap of a couple of months. It’s tough for the family and the people who have cancer. One day, if I have enough money, here is the cause that I would donate. 

What is the best advice you have ever received?

– It’s simple. be yourself and appreciate small victories, because it is this appreciation that will pay off one day.

Who was your childhood hero?

– If we talk about superheroes, it is The Incredible Hulk. He is the perfect example of the balance between strength and intelligence. Otherwise, I believe it was my father because, despite some difficulties, he always found a way to be happy.

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

– I had appendicitis-peritonitis two weeks before my team’s summer camp. No one is mentally and physically ready to be hospitalized for a week and miss the first four games of the season for something you can’t control. The infection had spread everywhere and the doctor later revealed to me that when this is the case, the patient can have almost a 50% chance of dying. I fought back but it was difficult to accept that I was going to lose all the gains I had during the off-season and that I was not going to be able to help my team. However, I worked very hard to return as quickly as possible when I got the green light from the doctors.

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

– Team values ​​make my team special. The first value is family. It provokes a powerful feeling of belonging which ensures that we are ready to do anything for others. The second is competition. This value causes a feeling of surpassing oneself and always wanting more. This makes everyone want to be the best version of themselves.

What is your degree in?

– In French, it is called “Étude du phénomène criminel”, which means that I studied everything that encompasses crime. It can be about the different types of criminals, different types of crimes, psychological dysfunctions that lead to crime, and many other things that are related to this universe.

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

– As much as I like Rob Gronkowski or Travis Kelce, I try to model my game around George Kittle’s style. For what?, Because when it’s time to block someone, he is a beast, a bad dog and I have the intensity and the physicality to do the same thing. He can run a route and catch the pall which I can do too.