NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Jordan Halverson, LB, Concordia St. Paul

NFL Draft Diamonds and our staff have been bringing our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 2 years and this year we mixed up the questions and added some fun questions for our readers. We have tons of NFL staff that read our interviews, and we actually received several of the questions from NFL scouts we speak too. This gives them a little bit more information regarding your character. We hope to bring you more than 300 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.

What is your name?

Jordan Halverson

What is your Height/Weight?

6’1 235 pounds

What is your position?

Middle Linebacker

Where do you play college football?

Concordia St. Paul University

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

While I was student teaching I started a mentor program at the school for young boys. I was someone that they could relate to.

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

Hardest class would have to be my Psychology classes I had to take.

Where are you from?

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Who is your role model, and why?

My role model is my mother. She is a single parent that raised 5 children. She is a very strong woman, and has made me the man I am today. I know as a mother raising a boy into a man by herself is challenging.

Did you play any other sports growing up?

Also played basketball and ran track throughout high school.

Did you play any other positions in football?

In my younger years I also played running back and safety. Some other position I played due to game planning in college were Defensive end/OLB.

At your position, what separates you from others?

My nose for the ball, athleticism and physicality separates me from other linebackers.

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

I look for tendency from the QB, skill players, and O-line. I like to see certain hand motion while checking in and out of plays. I like to see how an O-line run blocks and how they pass set. Also like to see as a whole what are the other teams tendencies on certain down and distances.

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

There are a lot of great players in the NSIC. It is very hard to just name one player, but I would give it to the whole O-line from Mankato State my junior year.

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

Bobby Wagner. I compare myself to him a lot. We both can run sideline to sideline making plays, and come downhill and stop the run. We both are built very similar, and play the game with a lot of passion. Also we both are very athletic to stop the run game and cover in the pass game.

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

I would have to say being homeless at times throughout high school. It was a rough part of my life, but made me stronger and more grateful for a lot of things.

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

I would say doing my prayers and listening to music.

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

There are a lot of obstacles I face as a small school kid. First off I have to show them I do have the talent to play at that level. Also being a small school guy we don’t get the stuff D1 guys get. We don’t get the same facilities or nutrition.

What is your biggest strength?

I would say my athleticism and my knowledge of the game would be my biggest strength.

What is your biggest weakness?

I would say my weakness would be my height. Being 6’1 I’m not going to be the tallest LB.

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

I would tell him that I am a very hungry and ambitious player. Just a kid that needs one opportunity and that he wouldn’t regret it.

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

Favorite player growing up was Ray Lewis, and favorite team would be the Minnesota Vikings.

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

Ray Lewis, Mohammed Ali, and my really good friends that passed away in high school (E-Man)

With your first NFL paycheck what would you buy?

With my first NFL check I would go out and buy myself a burger to celebrate all the hard work that went into that first check.

Rapid Answers:

• Spongebob or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
• Backstreet Boys or One Direction?
• Lifetime Channel or HGTV?
• Waffles or Pancakes?
• Snakes or Spiders?
• Madden or Mario?