2015 NFL Draft Interview: CB/S Quinten Rollins

Quinten Rollins – CB (Miami of Ohio) – Interview at 2015 Senior Bowl

Measurables:  Hgt:  5’11”

Wgt:  195lbs.

Hand:  9”

Arm:  30 1/4”

PROFILE:  After four years of basketball and with a semester of eligibility left, decided to give football a shot in 2014 after being away from the sport since high school. Named 2014 MAC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-MAC. Finished the season with seven interceptions, including a pick-six against Ohio. Was a standout four-year starter for the Miami (OH) basketball team. Only basketball player in school history to have 7 steals in a game twice. Four-year football letterman and three-year team captain for Wilmington High School (Ohio).

On what it was like working with NFL coaches:

Oh, it was great. Learned a lot. Coming from a college system, I was just put out there and they said just shut one side down. Opened up my brain this week, learning some great things that I can definitely take forward.

On the type of scheme he would prefer to be in:

I’m an open book right now. I’m not stuck in my ways as opposed to some of these guys who have been four years in college in a system. So they kinda like say I got my way and they don’t want to alter. I’m just an open book so any scheme reasonable to me.

On what an NFL team is going to get when they draft him:

Somebody who loves to compete – somebody who works hard – somebody who has a knack for the ball. Tough – physical. But also, I got a lot of things I need to work on. But I’m willing to work no matter where I start at. Hope to be one of the best corners one day.

On what areas he thinks he needs to improve on:

I’m my biggest critic, so I definitely know what I need to work on. I need to be more patient – staying in my backpedal longer – playing in space, because I was a press corner all year. So, just coming out here and getting better, which I definitely got better from day 1 all the way up the day 3. Just continuing to improve. Experience is the big thing for me so the more games I get under my belt, just getting into a system and being able to learn that system and thrive in that system is going to be beneficial for me in the long run.

On whether he has any set goals for a 40-yard dash time at the Combine:

No, I just know I want to run under a 4.5. That’s what I need to do and that’s what I’m going to do. (he actually ran a 4.57)

On making the major transition from basketball to football and what he brings from that sport that will be beneficial to him in his attempt to establish a pro football career:

Just the toughness about myself – the next play mentality. Playing basketball, you can’t dwell on one play. Just like I had a play out there (in the game) where I missed an interception, I can’t dwell on that. I gotta bounce back up and get moving forward to the next play.  And just my instincts. Just playing sports, I’ve always had a knack for the ball, whatever it may be. That’s been very beneficial to me on the field – just being able to read stuff and react as opposed to playing slower.

On who were the players that he faced off against this week who he felt helped make him a better player:

Devin Smith (Ohio State), definitely. He’s a speedster. And Goodley from Baylor. He looks kind of slow, big, but that guy can move and his route running is very good. So, just being able to compete and play against the best players in the country has really helped me in ways I can’t even imagine.

On what kind of feedback he has gotten from NFL teams during the week:

They know I’m an open book. I haven’t had that much experience so they’re willing to work with me. But they really haven’t said anything. They just know that watching film, they know with the weaknesses that I have, which is sometimes being too patient. They know that I haven’t played too much in space. Nobody is really hounding me like, you need to be working on this to be this, or anything like that. I know that I need to work on certain things and they know that it’s going to take time to develop. Once I get into a system and be able to learn that system, I’ll be fine.

On what it was like playing at the Senior Bowl against guys who were from bigger schools and who have been playing for 4 or 5 years:

It was definitely a blessing. Just being invited first and foremost from a small school was a blessing itself. And then coming out here and being able to compete, which I love to do, no matter who it is, has been really beneficial and I hope it helps me in the process.