Kicker Justin Medlock
Fifth Round (No. 160 overall)
Kansas City Chiefs
Daily Bruin: What have the past couple of days been like?
Justin Medlock: It’s been exciting going through this whole process. Finally knowing where you end up. I’m just happy that I get the chance and the opportunity to do something special and do something that I’ve always wanted to do.
DB: How did you sleep this past weekend?
JM: The first couple days I couldn’t fall asleep for some reason. I had to take Tylenol PM at like 2 a.m. one night just because I couldn’t fall to sleep. Just for the fact that everything was coming up and I was just kind of like, “Oh, where am I going to go?” But now I can sleep a little bit better.
DB: Did you watch the draft?
JM: I was thinking about going golfing during the draft but I actually decided not to. But I golf all the time just to get my mind off things. I think it helps a lot with kicking. So I actually try to golf a lot.
DB: What were you doing when your name got called?
JM: I was just watching the draft and I was paying close attention to the Kansas City pick and I thought maybe there was a chance. All of a sudden, I got a phone call and I was like, “Oh, wow, unknown number. That better not be Aaron Perez.” All of a sudden it’s Kansas City and “welcome to the Kansas City Chiefs. Hope you’re ready to try to win a Superbowl.” Everybody was all screaming in the background. It was just kind of crazy. I actually didn’t see my name come up on the TV but it was cool though.
DB: When was the first time you talked to the Chiefs?
JM: I talked to them at the East West Shrine Game back in January. I had a little bit of contact here and there all the way up through the draft. It was just little things but they kind of played their poker face. Didn’t really show me as much as certain teams so it was a little bit of a shock.
DB: What kind of attention did you get from other teams besides the Chiefs?
JM: I had been getting calls by Atlanta and e-mails. I had heard so much from them in the last week and I got worked out by Atlanta. So I thought it was a perfect match just because they needed a kicker.
DB: What’s a typical day been like for you over the past few months?
JM: I’ve just been bored. I work out then I go get a treatment here and there, little things. But other than the working out, I just kind of sit around. Hopefully go play some golf, but now I just do my same old thing for a little while.
DB: What was the whole combine and interview process like?
JM: The combine was just so tedious. A lot of little things like one day I had to get up at 5 or 6 to take a drug test. Every morning we were up early. … I had interviews the first day we were there and met for three hours with every single team with the same exact questions. … I got kind of tired of hearing the same question (about my DUI) but I understand that people have to ask it. But at the same time, so many people did background checks to make sure that they understood that I wasn’t a bad guy. We all make bad mistakes in life and I paid the consequence. … They wouldn’t have picked me if they thought I was a bad guy.
DB: What was the weirdest interview situation that came up?
JM: The funny thing was that I had an interview with the Seattle Seahawks and one of the scouts was like, “How many sacks did you have?” and I was like “Oh, I’m not Justin Hickman. I’m Justin Medlock.” … Then they asked me like one question and they were like, “All right, (that’s enough).” It was kind of awkward and funny at the same time.
DB: What are you most excited about going to the Chiefs?
JM: Just the opportunity to play. … The thing that I’ve always looked at is when people have the NFL logo on their shorts, you always want to have that. It’s a kid’s dream to play in the NFL and I’ll get my chance.
DB: What was your family’s reaction when you first found out you were drafted?
JM: My phone rang and all of a sudden I gave my mom the thumbs up. She was jumping up and down. It was like the most I’ve ever seen my mom move because she’s always just knitting over there, being quiet. She was all excited and I was making fun of her today.
Wide receiver Matt Willis
Undrafted free agent
Baltimore Ravens
Daily Bruin: What have the past couple of days been like for you?
Matt Willis: A lot of emotion. Nervous and excited at the same time and now I’m just relieved it’s over and now I know what I’m doing. I know what I’m moving on to now. I got a place to go.
DB: Did you watch the draft?
MW: I went home and watched it. I watched the first round on day one. Like everybody else, I wanted to see who went first and whatnot. And the second day, I watched the end of it, the sixth or seventh round. Then was waiting around afterward.
DB: When did you first start hearing from teams?
MW: You hear from teams throughout the whole process. The week before I was getting calls to verify information. Then after the draft, I heard from teams probably within an hour. I heard from one team before it was over, then I started to hear from a few more probably within a half-hour or an hour after the draft was over.
DB: When was the first time you talked with the Ravens?
MW: That would be when I signed. I believe they had a scout at our Pro Day and I hadn’t heard anything from them, no interest out of them. They called after the draft and wanted to bring me to camp, so that was really the first I heard of their interest. They called early so I knew they had high interest, which is what I was looking for.
DB: What’s the biggest thing you need to do to make it in the NFL?
MW: You got to be mentally strong. You got to step in there every day; this is your life now. This is your job. This is how you pay rent and eat and provide for your family and you got to take it seriously and you can’t let up.
DB: What are you going to do with your first NFL paycheck?
MW: I’m going to save it. Put it in the bank. You don’t know what’s going to happen. NFL contracts aren’t guaranteed so you could be cut at any time. So I’m not going to be buying a car or anything.
DB: Has your experience at UCLA helped you out during this process?
MW: Definitely. UCLA’s a big-time university with big-time players and big games. You get a good sense of what it’s going to be like even though it’s not going to be the exact same. Being at UCLA with coach (Karl) Dorrell, who’s coached in the NFL, they prepare us well and get us ready for the transition and the next level.
Defensive end Justin Hickman
Undrafted free agent
Washington Redskins
Daily Bruin: What have the past couple of days been like for you?
Justin Hickman: A roller coaster of emotion and the way it ended, it was frustrating, but that’s the name of the game and how it goes sometimes. There’s nothing I can do about it. I don’t make any draft picks. I got to go with the flow and whatever happens happens and I got to look forward to the future.
DB: When was the first time you talked to the Redskins?
JH: The end of the fifth round because they had a pick coming up in the sixth and the D-line coach was going to stand up on the table and try to get them to take me. But then he called me back later and he’s not sure if I was gonna get the pick. It wasn’t looking likely because they had already drafted three defensive players. … They felt they needed to address the offensive side of the ball.
DB: What factored into your decision to choose the Redskins over your other offers?
JH: The fact that they were second to last in the NFL in sacks last year. They need someone to put pressure on the quarterback. They need someone to get sacks and that would be my job. I’m going to be the only defensive lineman they’re bringing in so that’s encouraging. … It’s an opportunity and I got to take advantage of it.
DB: What has a typical day been like for you over the past few months?
JH: A typical day ““ it’s really not that stressful. A lot of down time for me. I only have class Tuesday and Thursday. So Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I get up, go work out in the morning, and come back and usually I’m hanging out the rest of the day trying to find something to do.
DB: What’s the biggest factor that you’re most excited about going to Washington?
JH: Definitely it’s going to a franchise that’s on the brink of doing something special and hopefully I can go in there and make the roster first and foremost and have an impact on what happens. Hopefully we’ll go to the playoffs and maybe something bigger.
DB: What are your expectations for the next few months?
JH: I fly out Thursday morning. I’ll be out there for the weekend for rookie camp and the plan is to work. Work and study and do the things that are necessary for me to make the 53-man roster. Get better day-to-day. Do something good each day to the point where they have to keep me. … Hopefully I’ll make an impact once it’s time for games to start.
DB: Do you have any special plans for what you’re going to do with your first NFL paycheck?
JH: Special plans? I don’t have any special plans. Being a free agent, it’s not going to be that big. Put it in the bank account and let that check make me some more money. Honestly, I gotta find somewhere to stay. Obviously there’s some necessities that need to be bought. As for things that I want, the only thing that I really want is a dog. That’s the only thing I want to get.
DB: Has your UCLA experience helped you in this process?
JH: We do things at UCLA very professionally. So I feel that I’m extremely, extremely prepared for whatever happens come this weekend. … The defense that I’m going to be learning is the same at Washington that it was at UCLA this year because coach (DeWayne) Walker brought it with him. … I’ll have a leg up because I’ll pretty much know the system.
DB: Do you think it was a big factor for the Redskins that they know that you know the system?
JH: Honestly, I don’t know. That’s something you’d have to ask one of them. I imagine it was a little bit of a factor but I don’t know.
DB: If you could describe this whole process in one word, what would it be?
JH: It was rough. … From hearing things to watching guys come off the board, you know, there were 26 defensive ends drafted. I made it a point to figure that out. It was rough to see that something like that happened.