NFL DRAFT CLASS OF 2021 INTERVIEW: WYATT HUBERT | KANSAS STATE | DEFENSIVE END

Interview with Kansas State defender Wyatt Hubert

Author:
The NFL Draft Bible
Publish date:
Mar 27, 2021 1:00 AM EDT

What will you be working on leading up to the draft? Definitely talked to a few coaches and a few scouts after we were done doing all the drills, they just emphasized that you can't ever be flexible enough, especially at the edge position that I play. Always work on your bend. Always keep it nice and sharp and crisp and always stay flexible. That's the main thing I'm going to hone in on these next two to three months, until the draft. Just always try to improve on those things to keep them nice and sharp.

What makes your pro day valuable? Everything's important. There are expectations on what you should run, how high you should jump, how well you should move in the drills. Overall, I think I did really well. Overall, I'm definitely very happy and I think I did really well in my position work.

Jim Nagy called you ‘one of the most underrated prospects in the draft. What do you have to say about that? I don't have the length that guys want out of a defensive end or outside ‘backer, but every single player has their own type of limitations, whether it's length, height or speed. But I definitely have a lot of things that a lot of other players don't have -- my football IQ, my knowledge of the game, that's something that exceeds a lot of guys in this draft class. Just how smart I am on the field, how many different positions I've played and how experienced I am at multiple different positions. That's the main thing that sets me apart: Being able to play a lot of different positions, being able to communicate and know my role at a bunch of different positions. I definitely have a chip on my shoulder, definitely want to be the best player I can be and exceed myself past the other edge rushers in this draft class.

What are your draft expectations? You definitely get a lot of feedback. A lot of guys shoot you straight; a lot of guys tell you things that may not be true. There's a lot of things that you can believe, but a lot of things that you shouldn't believe. I try not to focus a whole lot on that, it's just going to be a blessing no matter what round I'll be able to go in. Some say round two to three; some say three, four, five. It's a wide variety of projections of where I'll land. The earlier is definitely the better, no doubt about it, but I'm going to be blessed and fortunate no matter what round I go in.

What did you want to show scouts at your Pro Day? One thing that's always been a specialty of mine is how quick I am laterally. So, I definitely wanted to go out there and prove myself, prove to them how quick I was in my short shuttle and my "L" drill. I think I ran very well times on both of those drills. Lateral quickness is so important as an edge rusher and a defensive lineman. I exceeded my expectations on those drills.

What are your strengths? I'm very laterally quick. Being an edge rusher, the 40 is important -- you need to be fast, you need to be fast off the ball. But it's not as important as how laterally quick you are. Those are two things I'm very well at. My hand usage is very well. I went through a lot of pass rush drills today, my footwork is very well -- did well in those drills. Then, even doing a little outside ‘backer drops as well. We have a lot of experience with that at Kansas State, in our playbook. I've done a lot of things that will transition in the NFL that I've been doing a long time here in college.

What is your mindset like and how can your momentum from 2020 carry forward? There's a lot of things I did in college that is going to translate into the NFL. One thing I'm super blessed and fortunate that we did here at Kansas State is we ran a very NFL-style type of defense. Even though we ran a 4-2-5 here, the two defensive ends on the edge were hybrid linebacker type of D-ends, outside linebacker type of D-ends. That's what I'll most likely be playing at the next level is outside ‘backer. A lot of similarities from college to the NFL.

What is your biggest regret about the combine being canceled? It definitely sucked not being able to go to Indianapolis and competing with a bunch of -- the top 300 players in college football. Being in the edge group, this is a very strong class, a lot of very talented guys. I actually trained with a lot of top-notch edge guys and that pushed me and made me better. But the biggest regret is definitely just not being in Indianapolis, especially being a guy who was invited. It definitely sucks not being able to go there and performing on one of the biggest stages, one of the biggest job interviews of your life. It sucked, for sure, but the 300 other guys who got invited weren't able to experience it, so that's why Pro Day and the Senior Bowl were so important for me.

Are you expecting to play in a 3-4 scheme in the NFL? I'll definitely be playing an outside ‘backer type of position. I say that, but the main teams I've been talking to I'd definitely be an outside ‘backer -- I may be a little undersized as a true 4-3, hand-in-the-dirt type of guy, but I did that at Kansas State so I have experience with that. That's what makes me so versatile. I can do that and I can play outside ‘backer with all the dropping experience and man-to-man coverage experience we had at Kansas State.

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