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NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Darrien Oliver, OL, Chadron State College

Darrien Oliver of Chadron State is the anchor of the O-Line

NFL Draft Diamonds website has been providing our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 3 years and this year we mixed things up a bit. Our questions are designed to give our readers a little more insight on the draft eligible player. We hope to bring you more than 350 interviews of NFL Draft Prospects this season. You will be able to track them all on the front page of our website in the banner to the right.  Now let’s meet our next prospect!!!!

What is your name?

Darrien Oliver

What is your Height/Weight?

6’1 310

What is your position?

Center

Where do you play college football?

Chadron State College

Football is about giving back, what is the coolest thing you have done off the field?

For the last two summers I served as a team leader Upward Bound program. Upward Bound assists high school students in developing the academic skills and motivation needed to successfully complete high school and to enter college upon graduation. Students receive educational, cultural and social experiences that will help prepare them to enter and succeed in college

What was the hardest college class you ever had to take?

International Finance

Where are you from?

San Diego, CA

Who is your role model, and why?

My mother is my role model. She always pushes me to strive for better and never be content with where I am today

Did you play any other sports growing up?

Growing up I played just about everything but football; baseball, soccer, basketball, and wrestling

Did you play any other positions in football?

I also played guard

At your position, what separates you from others?

What separates me from other centers is that I’m extremely smart, athletic, and fast

When you are breaking down film, what do you look for?

Since I play center, I’m expected to know just about everything about the opposing defense. The first thing I look for is defensive tendencies on first, second and third down in whichever formations we are lined up in on offense. By doing that it allows me to get a grasp of what defense we’re going to see. The next thing I look for is different stunts and blitzes and on what downs they occur. The last thing I look for is the defensive linemen’s favorite moves

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

Demond Tucker, Iowa State

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

If I could compare myself to one NFL player if would be Rodney Hudson or the Oakland Raiders. My reason being, he was also considered as being “undersized” for his position as well. Also, because he plays extremely smart and physical

What was the biggest obstacle in your life you had to overcome, and how did you overcome it?

I’ve always been told that I’m not big enough to play football at a high level but I have. So I just keep my head down and just grind, someone will notice me

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

I go out to the field about two hours before game and just take in the sights and get my mind right for the game. I also do my fair share of stretching and running during that time also

What is your biggest strength?

My biggest strength is my football IQ

What is your biggest weakness?

My biggest weakness is my height

If I were a GM and gave you a second to sell yourself, what would you say?

I would say that I am a low-risk player that can turn a lot of heads in camp and ultimately it would be a win/win if I were to make the team

Who was your favorite player and/or NFL team growing up?

My favorite player was LaDanian Tomlinson and favorite team is the Chargers

If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would you choose?

Kobe Bryant, Will Smith, Kevin Hart

What will be the first big item you buy once you are in the NFL?

A would purchase a house

Damond Talbot

NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com

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