2027 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Floyd Lyles, WR, Shaw University

• Name: Floyd Lyles
• Position: WR
• College: Shaw University
• Height: 5′ 9″
• Weight: 180 lbs
• Instagram: lyles.trey_

What made you decide you wanted to be a football player?

Honestly, I just grew up around football my whole life. I’ve always been a football guy. I was a ball boy in my younger days at my local high school in Union County, South Carolina. I was a ball boy all the way up to about 7/ 8th grade so I have just always been in love with the game.

What are your favorite moments from your football life?

One-hundred-yard game and just scoring my first collegiate touchdown. I will just never forget that feeling man. There’s not a better feeling to get in the box and be able to celebrate with your teammates then just give God all the glory for everything.

If you could hang out with any football player, past or present for a day, who and why?

I would hang out with Steve Smith just because I feel like we are we both are smaller guys and we both play with a chip on our shoulder and I would just love to pick his mind and I study his game a lot because that’s like we have a lot of similarities and I try to model my game after him I just like his competitiveness and he fierce.

What is your favorite offensive scheme and why?

Spread offense, but with a balanced attack of having a good rushing game too, but I just feel like the spread offense because that’s more of my generation now just spreading the football out. Wide outs coming in all shapes, forms and sizes right now, so just being able to do things to put skilled people in space and letting them flourish from their strengths and stuff like that.

What stands out about your film the most?

Versatility. I’m a slot receiver or I could be an outside receiver. I return kicks, I return punts. I can also be lined up in the backfield If I was used that way, just my versatility and being able to affect the game and in all aspects on offense and on special teams.

What should we know about Floyd Lyles the person?

You should know that Floyd Lyles comes from a small town so hard working, a people person, a God-fearing man, a family man but I love the game of football and I’m passionate about the game. A God-fearing man who loves the game and just wants a chance to give back to his family and those important to me. And the little kids that always had to take maybe the long route or didn’t have the red carpet rolled out or a handout just I just want to be a role model for them to keep persevering through whatever they’re going through. That they put God first.

What do you love the most about the game of football?

I just love how much it teaches you about life. Football prepares you for the real world. There’s good plays you gotta keep playing. Bad plays, you gotta keep playing. My head coach Lamar Manigo always stated that and that stuck with me and life is the same way good things happen you gotta keep going. Bad things happen, you have to keep going. Football just taught me a lot about life and perseverance.

Who is the most underrated player played with and why?

Most underrated player, Trey Thorpe, my running back this year from Shaw University and I feel like he’s not getting as much attention as he deserved but he can really help. He’s a great running back. He’s a three down back, he can catch a ball out of the backfield and he’s just an all-around complete player.

What are you looking to achieve as a football player going forward?

I’m going forward. I just want to play at the professional level and just to reiterate earlier and piggyback off of what I was saying just giving kids hope, giving kids opportunity. That if they keep persevering and staying persistent on that anything is possible. And to just put God first.  And I just want to earn everything that we work for and I just want to earn the respect of the world. Let the world see my work and it’s going from there.