Pa_Falcon_Fan Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 http://nfldraftdiamonds.com/draft-diamonds-prospect-interview-beau-gardner-te-northern-arizona-university/Every year, NFL DraftDiamonds brings our readers the best in depth interviews on the internet. We specialize in giving players an opportunity to showcase their talents on our website. We conducted interviews last year with over 300 plus players. We want you to enjoy our interviews, because when these young men are in the league, we will not be surprised, and neither should you. What is your name?Beau GardnerWhat is your Height/Weight?6’4, 255What is your position?Tight endWhere do you play college football?Northern Arizona UniversityHow many teams were recruiting you out of high school?Nine teams were recruiting me out of high school.How did you choose your school?Following high school, I planned on serving a two year church mission and NAU offered to hold my scholarship until I returned. I was grateful for their willingness to hold a scholarship for me and felt a loyalty to Coach Souers and his program.Where are you from?Mesa, ArizonaWho is your role model, and why?My role model is my father. He was a decathlete at BYU, so I always looked up to him and valued his advice as an athlete. I admire that he was able to maintain his role as a husband/father while he competed. Have any scouts met with you yet, and if so what are they saying?The teams who attended my pro day were very impressed and I’ve been contacted by a number of other teams who have seen my pro day numbers wanting to know my story. Did you play any other sports growing up?Yes, I grew up playing basketball, baseball, volleyball, track and field, and swimming. Did you play any other positions in football?In high school I played DE. I’ve recently taken up long snapping.At your position, what separates you from others?What separates me from others is that I’m a well-rounded or “true” tight end. I am utilized as both a blocking and receiving tight end and have proven to be a red zone threat. When you are breaking down film, what do you look for?First I identify main coverages, fronts, and blitzes. Then I watch the DEs and look for tendencies and weaknesses. Following that, I will watch the LBs to identify their base alignments and see what tendencies they have when blitzing and running stunts with the DEs. Who was the toughest player you ever faced?Tyler Starr from South Dakota was the toughest player I faced at NAU. He was actually a better OLB than any of the FBS LBs I played against. If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be and why?I like to think of myself as a Jason Witten type of player. He takes pride in being a great blocker, and even though he’s not the fastest tight end, he can always get open with great routes. What was the biggest obstacle in your life you had to overcome, and how did you overcome it? Injuries have been my biggest obstacle. I had five major injuries throughout high school and my freshman year of college that required surgeries. After continuing to struggle with nagging injuries my first two years in college, medical tests proved I had a major health deficiency. Once that was identified and treated, my body healed and I was able to perform at a higher level. While those obstacles were difficult to overcome physically, the mental hurdles were the most difficult to overcome.Do you have any pre-game rituals?I listen to the Enya Pandora station because it helps me relax while I visualize plays in my head.What is your biggest strength?My biggest strength is my reliability. Whether it’s running power, or making a play on third down, my teammates and coaches were able to rely on me to be a playmaker when called upon. By doing this, I was able to help my team perform at a higher level. What is your biggest weakness?My biggest weakness at the end of the season was not running crisp routes. I would dictate what I was doing at the tops of routes with my pad level. I have worked very hard with a receivers coach to run cleaner routes and create the separation I need. If I were a GM and gave you a second to sell yourself, what would you say?Aside from doing the things every player should already be doing, such as being a hard worker, a student of the game, etc., I want to be the guy [your QB] wants to throw to when the game is on the line. If it’s a run play, I want to be at the point of attack. I want to make the critical plays in crunch time and I have confidence that I can – and I have. I live for “the moment”.Who was your favorite player and NFL team growing up?I never had a favorite player or team, but I enjoyed watching the 49ers in the Steve Young days.If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would you choose?Steve Prefontaine, Todd Heap, Warren Buffett Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drunken Minotaur Zebra Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Good read. Shares the same name with me Pretty funny that Starr was the toughest player he has gone against! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjerry Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Our new offensive intern was his OC up through last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pa_Falcon_Fan Posted May 3, 2015 Author Share Posted May 3, 2015 And a nice video of his highlights too. Kid looks pretty good for a small school guy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gHost83 Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 He has some good tape and he seems to have the right attitude. He has a good shot to make the team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvinthemartian Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Good read. Shares the same name with me Pretty funny that Starr was the toughest player he has gone against!I am kinda looking forward to see if Starr can do anything in Quinn's scheme. This TE seems like a good kid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight of God Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Can't wait for Lornoth to see this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis York Morgan Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 (edited) Lornoth is gonna get a kick out of this if he peeks.EDIT: lol nice Edited May 3, 2015 by Falcan Moore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
likeriver Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Tyler Starr confirmed pro bowler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pa_Falcon_Fan Posted May 3, 2015 Author Share Posted May 3, 2015 He has some good tape and he seems to have the right attitude. He has a good shot to make the teamAgreed. He is still a small school kid with long way to go before making the roster though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTBF54 Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Nice read......... Funny but here's another one of our UDFAs mentioning a present Falcon player.... Back-up center if Konz is movedWhat is your name?Valerian Ume-EzeokeWhat is your Height/Weight?6’2 303What is your position?CenterWhere do you play college football?New Mexico State universityHow many teams were recruiting you out of high school?5 school were recruiting me out of college( Texas state , nm state , Air Force, Colorado state , Sam Houston state)How did you choose your school?I chose the school that I felt most comfortable atWhere are you from?Dallas, TexasWho is your role model, and why?My parents are my role model because they have worked hard for everything that have gotten. So working hard is instilled in me now.Have any scouts met with you yet, and if so what are they saying?No I haven’t met with any scoutsDid you play any other sports growing up?Yes, basketballDid you play any other positions in football?Yes, I played guard in college and defensive tackle in high schoolAt your position, what separates you from others?I feel like I’m very fast off the ball, my reaction is what separates me from others at the center position. I am able to break down a defense before every snap. I was the player who made every call during my collegiate years.When you are breaking down film, what do you look for?When I break down film I tend to look for tendencies. I break down the defensive of front to see what they like to do. I like to check to see if their stance changes because that usually tells where they are going. I like to break how many time a team blitz to see when and what package they usually do it from. I really like to break down things that will help put my offense in a great position. So there is so much more but that’s just the few things I pick out while breaking down film.Who was the toughest player you ever faced?I would say Ra’shede Hageman for Minnesota was the best player I went against.If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be and why?I would say Jason Kelce because of his quickness and athleticismWhat was the biggest obstacle in your life you had to overcome, and how did you overcome it?My biggest obstacle was being underrated through high school. I used this to fuel me throughout college and ended up being on the Rimington watch list ( award given to the best center in the FBS) two years in a row and ended up being a 1st team All Sun Belt selection my senior yearDo you have any pre-game rituals?PrayingWhat is your biggest strength?My biggest strength is run blocking. I have quick feet and I am able to get on linebackersWhat is your biggest weakness?My weakness sometimes is my hand placement.If I were a GM and gave you a second to sell yourself, what would you say?You won’t have to worry about me on the field and off the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clark Kent™ Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Just read this earlier today too. I got a feeling this dude is going to make our roster. Willingness to blockEnough speed to beat LB up the seamNice handsInsane 41 inch verticalI said in another thread that he runs like former Arkansas QB Matt Jones with those long strides. He has my endorsement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTBF54 Posted May 3, 2015 Share Posted May 3, 2015 Just read this earlier today too. I got a feeling this dude is going to make our roster. Willingness to blockEnough speed to beat LB up the seamNice handsInsane 41 inch verticalI said in another thread that he runs like former Arkansas QB Matt Jones with those long strides. He has my endorsementYeah, he looks like a good fit under Shannys Z scheme............. Could hit the PS this year giving him time to develope........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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