2015 NFL Draft Interview: CB Josh Shaw

Josh Shaw – CB  (USC) from 2015 Senior Bowl week

Measurables:  Hgt:  6’

Wgt:  198lbs.

Hand:  9”

Arm:  30 7/8”

PROFILE:

3-year college career at Florida and USC … combined he had 119 tackles (including 8.5 for losses), 14 deflections and six interceptions with 22 starts … at USC, he had 97 tackles, including 7.5 for losses, plus 13 deflections and six interceptions while starting 21 games.

On what it means to him to have been invited to play in the Senior Bowl:

It means a lot.  This is the premier college all-star game. So being able to be here and showcase my talent in front of all 32 teams – it’s really a blessing.

On the significance of being invited to the Senior Bowl after putting in a solid performance the week before at the East-West Shrine Game:

It means that I’m doing something right. That guys wanted to see more of me, which is good. I just want an opportunity to go out and showcase myself and show these guys that I’d be a good asset to their organization.

On what he thinks he can bring to an NFL team:

I think that I’m a corner who can play safety and nickel so I’m a guy that can be on someone’s roster that can play multiple positions at any given time. The coaches can feel comfortable that if a safety goes down I can move to safety and there will be no drop-off. Also, that I can play on special teams. I think I can be a key guy on every organization’s special teams.

On the fact that, as a bigger cornerback in college he enjoyed success playing with some physicality, and how he will approach playing against the big, physical receivers in the NFL like a Dez Bryant or Calvin Johnson:

It starts with watching a lot of film. You get out there on gameday, you got to trust your preparation and trust everything the coaches have been telling you. You gotta have a plan each and every down you line up. If you’re in press coverage, you don’t want to show the receiver the same thing every time. You want to be able to have a toolbox and mix things up.

 

On coming from a storied college program that has produced numerous NFL players and any feedback he has gotten from USC guys who have made the jump to the next level:

The feedback I always get is they come back and tell me that I can play in that league. At USC we got a lot of talent there. Most of the guys that come there are probably 5-stars coming out of high school, or at least a good majority of the guys. So year in and year out, I’ve faced guys from Robert Woods to Marquise Lee to now Nelson Aguilar, guys like that. So I think that has definitely prepared me for the next level.

On which of those top USC receivers was the toughest to cover:

You know what, they’re all different, so I couldn’t even say one over the other. Because they’re all different, they all have different skill sets, they all possess a different challenge for every corner. 

On which receiver outside of USC was the toughest to cover and why:

Brandin Cooks. Brandin Cooks of Oregon State. He’s really so explosive.  You really don’t see guys like him come around too often. He’s a smart player and he’s physical also. Usually when you get smaller receivers, they don’t like to be touched. You know, Brandin Cooks, he’s the type of receiver that he’ll bring the party to you. So I had a great time matching up against him.

On what experience he has playing special teams and if he feels that he can do that immediately in the NFL:

Yes, I definitely think I can do it Day 1. I’ve had to do it throughout my collegiate career. It’s something you do especially being at the colleges that was at – one, at Florida and then the other at USC. Your key guys, your starters, you play special teams. They treat it like the NFL – you see starters in the NFL playing on special teams, so it would be no different.

On what kind of advice he’s gotten from the NFL coaches here at the Senior Bowl:

They like how long I am and what I can do in press coverage. So I think now it’s about fine tuning some things and playing the technique they want me to play as opposed to what I have been taught all these years and what’s comfortable for me. So, it’s being able to show them that I can adjust to what they want out of me.