NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Austin Duke, WR, University of North Carolina Charlotte

NFL Draft Diamonds has been bringing our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 3 years and this year we mixed up the questions and added some fun questions for our readers. Our questions are designed to give our readers a little more insight on the 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 the prospect!!!!

What is your name?

Austin P. Duke

What is your Height/Weight?

5’9 165lbs

What is your position?

Slot, PR

Where do you play college football?

Charlotte

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

Held Christmas party to raise/donate money & gifts to give to the women’s shelter. Annual Cops target kids event. I Started my own non profit organization called faith by works( in the process). Helped raise money for a homeless man I befriended to help him get a house & pay rent.

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

Some Business course it was so hard I wanted to forget it ever existed so I don’t remember the name.

Where are you from?

Charlotte, NC

Who is your role model, and why?

My dad because he set the foundation for who I am & my pastor, Steven Furdick, as a Godly role model he has made marriage cool & being Godly even cooler. Spreading the word that we are on this earth for a far bigger reason than ourselves.

Did you play any other sports growing up?

Baseball, basketball, track

Did you play any other positions in football?

Safety, QB & CB

At your position, what separates you from others?

Explosive, Speed, work ethic, knowledge of the game & routes.

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

Less of the opponent & more of me. Focusing on the minor details of my routes, eyes & spacing.

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

DeSean Jackson. Big play capability. Good hands catching & on releases. Speed. Routes.

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

Prayer & same as pre-practice. Catching. Footwork. Hands. Staying Positive

As a small school football player what obstacles do you feel you have to overcome?

Charlotte has done a great job of exposure, character building, platforming & building relationships but some difficulties would have to be being schemed against as one of the more touted players(not a bad thing but noted) & no training table so weight gain. Even more unique is being a start up program and having to build. So taking tough lumps, not having the expectations of winning & still having to find ways to stay focused & motivated. Lastly, being very good & not getting the recognized credit for accomplishments.. .

What is your biggest strength?

Speed & knowledge.

What is your biggest weakness?

Size

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

Willing to do whatever it takes to be great.

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

Steve Smith

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

Michael Jackson, Barack Obama & Eddie Murphy

With your first NFL paycheck what would you buy?

Engagement ring, savings account or whatever the Vets make me buy them.

Rapid Answers

• Who will win the Super Bowl? Panthers! Don’t be fooled
• Whose better Peyton Manning or Tom Brady? Tom Brady, he plays with more passion than Peyton, has more swag. 
• Better Running Back Adrian Peterson or Barry Sanders? Can’t compare legends to current stars, it’s a different day in age. 
• Better safety Eric Weddle or Ed Reed? Ed Reed, that man is a dawg!
• Better linebacker Ray Lewis or Luke Kuechly? Again…legend vs building legacy