Colts 2022 Draft Interviews: Kuony Deng, LB, California

Kuony Deng is a linebacker that was severely under-recruited out of John Champe High School in Aldie, Virginia. He eventually committed to VMI and spent two seasons at the school.

I asked Deng how a player of his caliber ended up at such a small school out of high school:

I was more of a multi-sport athlete in high school. I was a standout in football, basketball, and track. When people start getting recruited, which is typically their junior year, I don't think teams really knew what position I was going to play on the football field.

I was a skinny, wide receiver kid that was maybe 185 pounds as a junior in high school. I was more of a standout track and basketball guy at that point and I think a lot of schools thought I would go one of those ways. Football was always my one love, though.

My senior year is when I started playing linebacker and I had some success there. I just missed that recruiting window of the junior year, so I went to VMI and took that Division I football offer.

Deng spent two years with VMI before transferring to Independence Community College (famously known for being the place for Last Chance U on Netflix). In his one year with the school, he totaled 48 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, and six pass breakups. He left the school a year later as a four star recruit.

I asked him what his JUCO grind was like and if this was like a reset on his recruiting process:

It was a big year of growth in my life. It was an opportunity to bet on myself and reset that recruiting process, like you said. I was starting to get into my potential as a football player and I really wanted to play in the NFL one day. I knew I had the potential to do it and JUCO was an opportunity for me to bet on myself.

I put in a lot of work, and I was able to come out of it as the top player at my position and one of the top recruits in the country. It was just a completely different experience from high school to Junior College.

Deng had a long list of teams that were interested in signing him after JUCO. He was one of the top prospects in the nation, and he ultimately decided to attend Cal to finish off his collegiate career.

I asked him what went into the decision of attending a West Coast school when he grew up as an East Coast guy:

I had the option to go really anywhere that I wanted. I really wanted to go to a good academic school and I learned a lot about Berkeley and I saw that it was the number one public school in the world. That was impressive to me and my family. I did have some family in the Bay Area so I had some familiarity there as well.

The coaching staff and the culture also played a big factor. They were one of the best defensive minded programs in the country and playing at a really high level. I was just comfortable with the staff and it was a great school.

I also loved everything that the Bay Area had to offer in terms of my development off of the field. It was just a great fit for me, personality wise.

I know he went back to Cal, but with his length and high cut, Kuony Deng looks so much like a basketball player. And yeah, of course he averaged 19.2 pts in HS basketball. pic.twitter.com/ISIScKiKTM
— Seven Rounds in Heaven (@7RoundsInHeaven) March 12, 2021

Hit the Ground Running

Deng didn't take long to get his feet under him at Cal. He started his first season on campus, earning All Pac-12 Honorable Mention honors in year one. He finished the season with 121 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks, and eight pass deflections.

I asked him what was his key to success in his first season on campus:

I came in with a professional mindset. I was coming in with a purpose and I was grateful to be there. I was trying to be highly productive and I knew that my end game was that I wanted to get to the (NFL). I took that approach to working hard every single day.

I was getting with the coaches and watching film every single day, I was working hard with the strength coaches, and I was earning that trust in the locker room. It was really important for me to take this opportunity and run with it.

Deng made quite an impression on his teammates early on, as he was named a Team Captain in 2020 and 2021. It is hard to reach that status as a transfer student, but he quickly gained the trust and respect of his teammates in the locker room.

I asked him how he went about growing into that leadership role at Cal:

Football is a sport where there really is no substitute for hard work. We work 12 months a year for a handful of games that we get to play (if you are blessed enough to stay healthy). January to January you are really working hard and straining every single day.

When you have that work ethic and that love for your teammates, everybody in the building takes notice. Everybody notices-- from coaches down to the dining staff-- when you are a real genuine person that is about the work. I think that is how all that came about.

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Cal LB Kuony Deng is very interesting. He's listed at 6'6 245 which is a size we've never really seen before at LB, but if he proves he's able to consistently run through guys with reckless abandon then DCs across the league would love to have him!

-E
@Kd_2Three #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/08bKxu5fGc
— Scouters Anonymous (@Scouters_Anon) May 16, 2021

Highlighting Off-Field Work

Deng is a player that was extremely active in his community at Cal. He became an active volunteer with the People's Program to help distribute resources to local youth and homeless shelters. He volunteered with Berkeley High School's local football team. He also led an organization called UC Berkeley Black Male Link Up as well.

I asked Deng if he plans to be a big part of the community as a member of a NFL team in the future:

Most definitely. We are all men first. You really have to be able to stand by whatever your values are and whatever is important to you. For me, the bigger my platform gets, the more I am trying to do in my community and for my people.

I am really excited about being the first South Sudanese player to play in the NFL. For me, that is something that I take a lot of pride in and I'm going to just keep going (with everything I've been doing).

Read more about Deng's off-field work in this story here.

Kuony Deng (@Kd_2Three) talks family and his story with @Pac12Network @CalFootball pic.twitter.com/kWqPCT7RIm
— Last Chance U (@LastChanceUAlum) July 27, 2021

Insane Traits

Deng is an absolute unicorn when it comes to his measureables. He stands at 6'6" 240 pounds and is reportedly going to test very well this offseason. With his rare blend of length and athleticism, there are many different fits for him in the NFL.

I asked him what position he feels best suits him in the NFL:

I think I'm rare and there isn't anybody like me in this year's draft. I can do it all. I can play all four linebacker positions in an Odd Front. I can play all three in an Even Front. I have the athleticism and the size to produce at all of those places.

With my work ethic and smarts to be able to absorb it all, I think that I don't really have any limits, scheme wise. I think a lot of guys have to be in a certain system playing a certain way, but I think there is a place for me on every single team.

Deng also boasts some insane arm length on film. I couldn't find accurate measurements anywhere, so I decided to ask the source himself.

I asked him what measurements he has gotten back on his length/wingspan:

Everywhere you go, people measure you. With different people you get different measurements, but it is around seven foot. Maybe a little under seven foot but that is usually where it comes around at.

Kuony Deng (@Kd_2Three) mic’d up pic.twitter.com/fn8nEWmlrr
— Last Chance U (@LastChanceUAlum) October 15, 2020

NFL Outlook

I finished off the interview with the same way I finish all of them. I asked Deng how he would sell himself to a team this offseason. I asked him what my team would be getting, on and off the field, if they draft him:

I think you are getting the ultimate type of guy in terms of teammate and individual character. You can go back to any stop that I've had and talk to any random person and they'll vouch for me as a person.

I think I bring that to every single place that I go. I'm a highly intellectual guy that can pick up anything that is asked of me. I have rare talent and athleticism to play in the league.

I think people have forgotten a little bit about me after getting injured, but I've been underrated for most of my career. I just embrace the challenge and continue to put the work in.

You are just getting somebody that is highly versatile and highly committed to making this happen. Drafting me would help make your team better in the long run.

Deng is one of the draft's best kept secrets. His injury as a senior derailed the hype that would be swirling around him at the moment, but he is a rare build that can do a lot of things for a defense.

It may take some time for him to get his feet under him in the NFL, but I truly think that Deng will be a great find for a team in this class.

Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.

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