“Yeah, it’s super honoring. It’s humbling to say the least. Those guys, I mean that’s who I look up to. At the end of the day, those dudes changed the game. They were pioneers in this organization. The guys like Lyle [Alzado] and Howie [Long], I mean the list goes on and on. Those dudes were absolute savages, and they played the game at the highest level. I mean, Ted Hendricks is another one. His wife is like family to me and me and my wife. Charles Woodson, I mean I can go on and on, George Atkinson, those dudes are the ones who set the blueprint. And I constantly am asking them questions, so to hear that from Howie, it’s an absolute honor and it just gives me more inspiration to become the best version of myself. I talk about all the time like I saw something, it was a quote recently, I forget who it was but they asked him like when did he realize he was great. And he’s said not till after I was done because when I was in it, all that mattered was the day to day. All that mattered was how can I get better today. You don’t have time to look back and be like, ‘Oh [expletive], I’ve accomplished all this and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.’ Like for me, like when I hear stuff about that, I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s awesome. But now what’s next?’ I’ve got to keep moving, keep moving, because like I said, there’s people coming for what I’ve earned and done on a daily basis, but I know I’m not even close to where I want to be. In reality, I have 52 career sacks, that ain’t getting me to where I want to go. You know what I mean? I’m just getting started and that’s what pushes me is being the best version of myself, not only proving others wrong, but most importantly proving the small circle of people that know what I do right. And that’s truly all that matters. It starts with guys like Howie Long and dudes that set that standard, and I want to set that standard for the new wave of guys coming in the NFL, and everybody that steps in this building, I want my presence to be felt in all the good ways.”
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.
