2024 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Devlin Kirklin, DB, New Mexico State

• Name: Devlin Kirklin 
• Position: Defensive Back
• College: New Mexico State
• Height: 5114
• Weight: 200
• Twitter: @DKthe1
• Instagram: @d.kirklin1

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

I’ve played every position in the secondary and even outside linebacker at the collegiate level. The experience I’ve gained over the years along with my athleticism makes me fit any scheme.

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

I’ve loved football since I was 3, my older brother played so the game was introduced to me at an early age.

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

I am a highly motivated and coachable athlete with exceptional work ethic, a deep passion for the game, dedicated to bringing both leadership and dynamic playmaking ability to the team, all while being a team-first player.

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

ActiveMinds.org

What is the best advice you have ever received?

Always have a growth mindset, it makes you a better learner more valuable as a person.

Who was your childhood hero? 

My dad. He’s who showed me firsthand the definition of real hard work and sacrifice, seeing the way he worked multiple jobs at times to support our family. 

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

All the guys on the scout team. I played with some of the best scout team players in the country at my school. I think their dedication to doing the dirty work in practice goes underrated as far as how much they really contribute to the team’s success. 

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Being around lazy or negative individuals.

Who is your favorite teacher ever?

Mr.Patrick – Jr history teacher 

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

The hardest moment in my life was moving so far away from my family and my ‘normal’ to pursue my own dreams in life. Being from what is statistically one of the poorest counties in the nation, I realized early the significant challenges I’d face pursuing higher education and career opportunities with such limited resources and access.

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

My school is special to me because it just embodies what it means to be an underdog: Always picked last, always the one who everyone looks over. I feel like us embracing that is what fueled us, that’s why it was special to go from one of the worse schools in the country, to making school history.

If you could have any franchise restaurant in your house what would it be?

Zaxby’s 

What is your favorite snack food?

Cheddar Jack Cheezits

What is your degree in?

Individualized Studies

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

I bring a unique combination of athleticism and physicality, ready to contribute to your team’s success both on and off the field with unwavering commitment and exceptional character.

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

Jamal Adams

What is your favorite game to play at the carnival/theme park?

Quarterback Challenge

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

Kobe Bryant, to learn and receive wisdom from the greatest of all time, Ed Reed, whom I think is the best safety to ever play in the NFL, and Chris Harris, a person who’s walked the path that I am trying to, being a potential undrafted player with that chip on their shoulder.