Our very own Chris Level and Aaron Dickens caught up with former Texas Tech offensive lineman Terence Steele as he awaits the NFL Draft.
Terence, I can’t imagine that this would be a kind of a stress-free period, even without the pandemic stuff, how crazy has it been preparing for the draft with all these restrictions in place?
"Definitely not what I expected coming into my experience, but it had been a good experience overall. It’s been a very long year, and I went to the Senior Bowl in January. Then, a couple weeks after that, went to the (NFL Combine). Both went really good for me. I’m very happy with how I represented myself, my school and kind of sold myself in front of NFL scouts, teams. Yeah… I’m just happy where I’m at right now."
Take me through what teams are telling you on where they project you, like from, I’m assuming right tackle or swing tackle… kind of just take us through what teams are talking to you about position-wise at the next level?
"So, a lot of teams love swing tackles: you can play right and left, they love that. So, that’s something I’ve had a lot of teams reach out to me and express their interest in me through that. I’ve had about four, five teams keep regular contact with me, just checking up on me, seeing how I’m doing and stuff."
Take us through the Combine experience. That fascinates me. Were you nervous? Walk us through for somebody that won’t ever get to go through it or attend it probably. Take us through just what that experience was like.
"I was very blessed to have that experience. It’s something I’ve always looked forward to. Since I was a little kid, I’ve always wanted to go to the Combine. The experience overall was great. I got there I believe on a Monday, and it’s a week-long process. The first couple of days are medical evals and psych-testing. Then, meetings with position coaches and group staff probably like the first two days. Then, the later two days are testing. I tested, thinks it’s on a Thursday; and then, I ran and did footwork on a Friday. Then, I was out of there, but it was a long, grueling week. I think it was kind of how they designed for it to be, just kind of see how you respond to it. Overall, I was very, very blessed to be there. It was a really cool experience."
Terence, you mentioned that you were at the Senior Bowl. You just talked about the Combine. With all the travel shut down and then the pro days being canceled across the country, do you feel like you being at those two events gives you a bit of an advantage over maybe prospects that weren’t?
"Oh, 100 percent. If I didn’t go to those two, probably wouldn’t be out there as much as now, you know. There’s some kids that skipped the Combine, for example, and now they’re kind of stuck with doing on their own instead of having the school put it together. I don’t got to worry about stuff like that since I already did the Combine, and they got someone like me from the Senior Bowl. So, I’m kind of blessed in that situation."
You mentioned four or five teams you’re staying in contact regularly. Which teams are those?
"Yeah. So, I told them that I’d keep that on the house with them."
That’s fair. My second question is without naming a team, what was the craziest thing you got asked at the Combine? They ask some of the strangest things and try to figure it how you’re wired or if you’d rather be a dog or a cat, I don’t know… take me through like what the strangest thing you got asked was.
"I read up on those questions, the craziest questions people have been asked before, and I was kind of prepared for them, but I didn’t really get asked any of those questions. I guess the craziest one I got was, ‘If your house was burning and your all your family was out, what would you go back in and grab?’ I said, ‘If all my family was out, I don’t see any other possessions that would need to risk my life to go back into a fire just to get.’ So, that’s actually the only question I got."
That’s a good answer too. That’s a smart answer.
Terence, so the Combine was in February. Tech had their pro day scheduled for, in actually might’ve been yesterday, originally planned for. So, with that big of a break, did you get a chance to get any visits before everything got shut down because of the pandemic?
"No, I did not have the chance. Right after the combine, they just kind of… China got shut down, all the coronavirus to the time right now. I was going to have a couple lined up, but those kind of fell through, but I’ve been having a lot of FaceTime interviews with teams. Just trying to make the best of the situation."
While it’s tough as you go through it as a college player, how much of it is an advantage to you now that you played in a couple different schemes, if you will, and a couple of different positions coaches, because in the NFL, it’s a business, and it changes a lot. So that’s probably at some ways at that level of benefit that you’ve played for coach Jones and then coach Farmer and having to do a couple different things.
"Exactly, yeah, that’s good to have that ability to adapt to new situations and new coaching and new coaching styles. That’s something I’ll take from my college experience, just being able to pick up with a new coaching scheme, getting to know them real well. Just try to make the best of that situation. I feel like that’ll for sure help me out in my NFL career."
Terence, what’re your plans for the draft?
"So, I’ll probably go back home, be with a small, like my immediate family, pretty much, just because you don’t want to risk anything health-wise with corona stuff going on. I’ll be in San Antonio with my family."
With some of the down time, what’s the best thing you’ve watched in the last two, three weeks? Anything on TV you can recommend to us?
"Of course, I know everybody’s seen Tiger King, know how crazy that show is. I’ve also watched, it’s on Netflix, it’s called Good Girls. Its pretty cool, you’ll see it, but yeah, those two I’ve been on heavy."
On the Tiger King thing, do you think Carole Baskin is guilty?
"(Laughs) Oh, 100 percent. I want to know why she would say that information out knowing she knew what she did. Yeah, it’s crazy."
Terence, we got to ask you about the Red Raiders. You’re one of two tackles that graduated last year. Who do you expect to step up next season?
"Yeah, I see, I know Casey Verhulst. He’s at Talkington right now. He was my backup last year. He’ll be competing for sure with Zach Adams. He’ll probably fight for a left tackle spot, maybe. Troy Bradshaw, I knew he was also looking promising before I left. I’m sure there’s some I’m forgetting about, but I know one thing’s for sure. The o-line room is dedicated to work hard, and you’re going to see a lot of big things from this year. I can promise you that."
Terence, I can’t imagine that this would be a kind of a stress-free period, even without the pandemic stuff, how crazy has it been preparing for the draft with all these restrictions in place?
"Definitely not what I expected coming into my experience, but it had been a good experience overall. It’s been a very long year, and I went to the Senior Bowl in January. Then, a couple weeks after that, went to the (NFL Combine). Both went really good for me. I’m very happy with how I represented myself, my school and kind of sold myself in front of NFL scouts, teams. Yeah… I’m just happy where I’m at right now."
Take me through what teams are telling you on where they project you, like from, I’m assuming right tackle or swing tackle… kind of just take us through what teams are talking to you about position-wise at the next level?
"So, a lot of teams love swing tackles: you can play right and left, they love that. So, that’s something I’ve had a lot of teams reach out to me and express their interest in me through that. I’ve had about four, five teams keep regular contact with me, just checking up on me, seeing how I’m doing and stuff."
Take us through the Combine experience. That fascinates me. Were you nervous? Walk us through for somebody that won’t ever get to go through it or attend it probably. Take us through just what that experience was like.
"I was very blessed to have that experience. It’s something I’ve always looked forward to. Since I was a little kid, I’ve always wanted to go to the Combine. The experience overall was great. I got there I believe on a Monday, and it’s a week-long process. The first couple of days are medical evals and psych-testing. Then, meetings with position coaches and group staff probably like the first two days. Then, the later two days are testing. I tested, thinks it’s on a Thursday; and then, I ran and did footwork on a Friday. Then, I was out of there, but it was a long, grueling week. I think it was kind of how they designed for it to be, just kind of see how you respond to it. Overall, I was very, very blessed to be there. It was a really cool experience."
Terence, you mentioned that you were at the Senior Bowl. You just talked about the Combine. With all the travel shut down and then the pro days being canceled across the country, do you feel like you being at those two events gives you a bit of an advantage over maybe prospects that weren’t?
"Oh, 100 percent. If I didn’t go to those two, probably wouldn’t be out there as much as now, you know. There’s some kids that skipped the Combine, for example, and now they’re kind of stuck with doing on their own instead of having the school put it together. I don’t got to worry about stuff like that since I already did the Combine, and they got someone like me from the Senior Bowl. So, I’m kind of blessed in that situation."
You mentioned four or five teams you’re staying in contact regularly. Which teams are those?
"Yeah. So, I told them that I’d keep that on the house with them."
That’s fair. My second question is without naming a team, what was the craziest thing you got asked at the Combine? They ask some of the strangest things and try to figure it how you’re wired or if you’d rather be a dog or a cat, I don’t know… take me through like what the strangest thing you got asked was.
"I read up on those questions, the craziest questions people have been asked before, and I was kind of prepared for them, but I didn’t really get asked any of those questions. I guess the craziest one I got was, ‘If your house was burning and your all your family was out, what would you go back in and grab?’ I said, ‘If all my family was out, I don’t see any other possessions that would need to risk my life to go back into a fire just to get.’ So, that’s actually the only question I got."
That’s a good answer too. That’s a smart answer.
Terence, so the Combine was in February. Tech had their pro day scheduled for, in actually might’ve been yesterday, originally planned for. So, with that big of a break, did you get a chance to get any visits before everything got shut down because of the pandemic?
"No, I did not have the chance. Right after the combine, they just kind of… China got shut down, all the coronavirus to the time right now. I was going to have a couple lined up, but those kind of fell through, but I’ve been having a lot of FaceTime interviews with teams. Just trying to make the best of the situation."
While it’s tough as you go through it as a college player, how much of it is an advantage to you now that you played in a couple different schemes, if you will, and a couple of different positions coaches, because in the NFL, it’s a business, and it changes a lot. So that’s probably at some ways at that level of benefit that you’ve played for coach Jones and then coach Farmer and having to do a couple different things.
"Exactly, yeah, that’s good to have that ability to adapt to new situations and new coaching and new coaching styles. That’s something I’ll take from my college experience, just being able to pick up with a new coaching scheme, getting to know them real well. Just try to make the best of that situation. I feel like that’ll for sure help me out in my NFL career."
Terence, what’re your plans for the draft?
"So, I’ll probably go back home, be with a small, like my immediate family, pretty much, just because you don’t want to risk anything health-wise with corona stuff going on. I’ll be in San Antonio with my family."
With some of the down time, what’s the best thing you’ve watched in the last two, three weeks? Anything on TV you can recommend to us?
"Of course, I know everybody’s seen Tiger King, know how crazy that show is. I’ve also watched, it’s on Netflix, it’s called Good Girls. Its pretty cool, you’ll see it, but yeah, those two I’ve been on heavy."
On the Tiger King thing, do you think Carole Baskin is guilty?
"(Laughs) Oh, 100 percent. I want to know why she would say that information out knowing she knew what she did. Yeah, it’s crazy."
Terence, we got to ask you about the Red Raiders. You’re one of two tackles that graduated last year. Who do you expect to step up next season?
"Yeah, I see, I know Casey Verhulst. He’s at Talkington right now. He was my backup last year. He’ll be competing for sure with Zach Adams. He’ll probably fight for a left tackle spot, maybe. Troy Bradshaw, I knew he was also looking promising before I left. I’m sure there’s some I’m forgetting about, but I know one thing’s for sure. The o-line room is dedicated to work hard, and you’re going to see a lot of big things from this year. I can promise you that."
