Back at the Scouting Combine and, oh boy. Yeah, big ballers right here. This is one of those that's like, why is he coming on with us knuckleheads? From the Ohio State University, Caleb Downs. Glad to be here. Thank you guys for having me. Projected to be a top five pick in the draft. How's that sound to you when you hear your name, top five pick in the draft? I mean, I can't control that at the end of the day, so it is what it is. I'm just thankful to be in the situation that I am. and appreciative of it. What, I mean, brother in the NFL, right? Dad played in the NFL. Dad missed my dad by one year, right? Did you know that? I did not know that. The New York Giants, right? One year, your dad, 95. I remember your dad. I had to look it up a little while ago and go, wait, I kind of remember him, but I saw 34 downs. I was like, damn, I remember him. So, I mean, football just all the way growing up? Yeah, it was, no, we played every sport. I played soccer, played track, basketball, and baseball, and did everything. Honestly, that wasn't my first choice to play football. My brother was my bully growing up, so it was kind of I don't want to be like him at all. He played football, and I was like, I don't want to do that. But it turned out to be a natural thing for me, and I'm appreciative of it. Well, we've got a podcast with your brother now. Josh, Colts receiver, downs to business. How long have you been doing that? This was the first year of it, honestly. It's been great. A great opportunity to talk to Josh every week for a scheduled two-hour call. Yeah. I mean, I'm appreciative of it. Our relationship has grown a lot. And, yeah, it's great. Josh bullied you? Yeah, I mean, he was three years older than me as a kid. He used to rage bait me. Josh is a troll, if you will. I like it. I like it. He tells a lot of jokes and stuff. So, as a kid, yeah. Yeah. Well, you can tell him now, hey, you know, you go over the middle now. We'll see who bullies who when it comes around. That's what we're waiting for. At what age did it occur to you, you know what, I can take him now if I had to? It never really – that never really came up. It was just – it just stopped, honestly. It just stopped. So he decided to stop before you figured out. Yeah, yeah. He was windowed. He decided, yeah, he just stopped. And then the relationship became a lot better when he got to – After we played each other my freshman year, he was a senior. We played against each other in high school. Gotcha. When he got to college, our relationship grew a lot, honestly. Yeah, yeah. What drew you to the defensive side of the ball? My dad was a running back, and I played running back all through Little League, and he was like, you're not doing what I'm doing. So he was like, you're going to have a lot more longevity playing defense, and he felt like he could have played safety as well. There have been running backs, Caleb, who have said that. I remember Ben Tate, who was a running back in the NFL 20, 15 years ago. If I had to do it all over again, I'd have been a safety. You get more longevity. You make more money. You know, there's a greater need for an elite safety in the NFL than there is for an elite running back. It's just the business. And it was great advice from your dad to go that direction. Yeah. Yeah, he made that decision and it's worked out. Yeah, no, it's more than working out. I mean, it's working out in the fact of, like, hey, I'm going to quiz you on this, all right? Because you're right now considered the top five pick. Safeties don't get picked in the top five almost never. Three times in the history of the NFL draft. Right? I moved the screen so you couldn't cheat and look either. All right? Do you know any of them that are top five? Eric Berry. Yeah. Bing. Boom. Jamal Adams. No. No. No. Adams was just out. He was six. Right. But still a good – I like your knowledge. Eric Weddle. No. No. But you're going to be mad you missed this one. There's one that you're going to go, damn, I can't believe I forgot that one. R.I.P. Freak of nature. Miami University. Washington. The other one is Eric Turner back from 1991. He got drafted by Coach Saban. But look at you. So you're real. I'm a student of the game. Do you know who he is? I don't know. He's a good student. Well, I could tell even when I was saying your dad just missed my dad, I saw his eyes go, and he's like, I don't know who your dad is either. My dad was the quarterback of the Giants. He's Phil Sims. He won a Super Bowl there, right, and won two Super Bowls. I may have met him, honestly. I think my dad may have introduced me to him one time. Okay. All right. All right. So we're expanding your knowledge right here. Yes, we're learning still. All right. That's what we do. We learn. Another thing I'm fascinated by you, right, and this is just like organic response. You were at Alabama. Yeah. Right? Most times people transfer from a school where they're like, I'm not getting noticed. I'm not at a big school. Now I'm going to go to the big school and have that. And I was like, what? He's going from Alabama to Ohio State? So how did that kind of go down? Yeah, I mean, I told you I'm a learner, honestly. And I wanted to learn from Coach Saban. That's why I went there. And when that opportunity left, I took a couple days to see, is this the place that I want to be? Met with the coaches, met with the new coaches and the new DB coach in New DC. and felt like it was best for me to go. And I had a good relationship with the Ohio State coaches beforehand. They were my second school out of high school. So it was probably a good place for me, and I got a chance to learn a new defense, which is what I wanted to do. Yeah. Now that Nick Saban's been out of coaching for a few years, there aren't as many guys around to give us a good Nick Saban story, but we always love a good Nick Saban story. Give me a good one. I mean, I think it's just hilarious how he comes into meetings every day. I sat like you sat right there. That's Coach Saban. I sat right here every day. So I got to hear him say that they don't make them like they used to every day, how soft we are. I got to hear all that type of stuff every day. And then you also get to hear, like, the guys in the third row that are back there, they're saying stuff, but he can't hear. So it's just situations like that where it's just funny to be around. Well, let's piggyback off of that right there. First off, as an Alabama freshman under Saban, you were the first freshman ever to lead the team in tackles, 107. First team All-American. Nick Saban says, this guy is one of the most complete people I've ever had the opportunity to coach. He's a great person. He's a great student. He's a phenomenal football player. His competitive IQ is in the top tier of all players all time. Wow. That last is like, damn, you need to put that on your damn wall somewhere. Okay. Nick Saban said that about you. That is freaking awesome. I mean, for me, I feel like that's what makes me special, being a student of the game, as I said, trying to learn from players that have come before me, like Bob Sanders, I mentioned Eric Weddle, players that have played at the highest level, guys like Troy Palomaro and Ed Reed. Just being able to learn the game and articulate it and see it, and also creating a process for myself each week to go through to put myself in a position to play. Yeah, that's what I think makes me special as a player. Yeah. You working out? Working out at Pro Day. You're in Pro Day. Yes, sir. Right. All right. Nobody cares. Nobody. It doesn't matter. It's nobody cares. Well, I mean, seriously. Incredible accomplishment. First team All-American as a freshman. Unanimous first team All-American both years at Ohio State. Thorpe Award winner. Lot impact trophy. Just the accolades are endless. And I have a feeling it's just the beginning for Caleb Downs. I appreciate that. Yeah, definitely. You're more rocked up than your brother. Oh, most definitely. So you got more of that running back dad build. I have that running back build. That's why he made that decision. If I really wanted to right now, I feel like I could go do it. Yeah, no, I know you could. But we're going to stick to defense right now. You're doing good, man. Growing up, did you have a team you rooted for? I was in the beginning of the Legion of Boone, Seattle. Oh, yeah, you're the second one today. So I was Earl Thomas, Cam Chancellor. Right. Yeah. That's what I was at. Ballers. Before we let you go, you get a chance to say hello to anyone you'd like to say hello to. Right there. I would just say I appreciate my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That's what I was saying. All right. Damn, you got all the answers. You got all the answers. That's not an answer. That's just true from the heart. I know it is. He saved me in appreciation for him. All right. Last thing. Freakiest guy at Ohio State. Or in Alabama Since you went to both schools let just open up to both of them Freakiest guy Freakiest guy Right I think you about to see how freaky Sonny Styles is today Okay Yes very very freakish And then everybody already knows, but... Jeremiah. Jeremiah. Yeah, right, right. You'll see that next year. But that's good for you to say that because Sonny had a confidence yesterday that we saw when he said he was working out. Oh, my goodness. UA. I could see it in his eye, and I was like, oh, he's... All right, so it's like that. I already texted. I just seen him back there. Yeah. Yeah, they're going to be in the crowd like, everybody stop yelling. I'm going to be, let's go. I'm going to be the one doing that. I like it. You're awesome. Other than the two days you played Texas the last two years, I really like you every other day. Two days, two wins. That's all I remember. The great Caleb Downs on his way to the National Football League. Horns down, baby. Thanks, Caleb. Good luck to you, buddy. Thank you. We'll be back with more from the combine. We continue at the scouting combine talking to some of the incoming players. We are on to the safeties now. Our next guest is Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil Warren. Welcome. Nice to meet you all. I'm glad to be here. Glad to be with you. We appreciate some of your time. It's a whirlwind for all of us. Isn't it fun? Most definitely. It's fun. Just blessed. Yeah, blessed, honor, and a privilege to be here, right? Yes, sir. You hear that? Honor and a privilege. All right, all that. Call me in a couple years. Well, you might have a different view of the NFL. You might know a few more things for sure. No, but the experience itself, right? Yes, sir. You know, more nervous or more like, wow, because I know I was probably more nervous in my time. I said a little nervous, but I'm blessed to have this opportunity. You dream of this as a kid. Yeah. You watch this as a kid. Now you're here and finally on, like, at this stage. Right. Right. And this is your chance to show everyone what you can do. Yes, sir. Right? It's all been built into this. That's the mindset that I can tell that you have. Well, definitely. I got a tip on my shoulder just to prove everybody wrong. that I can do everything that the big school players did. Yeah. Yeah. Speak about that a little bit because here you are, one of the top safeties in the draft, a baller, all that. But you're at Toledo, right? Yes, sir. And no disrespect to Toledo. Some awesome players there. Yes, sir. Dan, the best corner in football is from there. Don't knock the match. No, I hear that. But yet, still, how did you end up there? Because, you know, you got the ability to be at one of those big schools. Coming out of high school, I had Toledo my first offer. So coming out of high school, after Toledo, I had got other power forward offers like Miami Hurricanes. I started getting Maryland. But going to my senior year of high school, I got a concussion. So they started reaching out, started getting in contact. So I was late in road, so going into late signing day, I was trying to find a home. Toledo, they came to my school one day while I was in the gym. They pulled me to the side. They asked me, do you have a home to go to? I said, no, sir, not yet. and they asked me, do I want to come up to a visit? And I said, yes, sir. I went up to a visit. I enjoyed the community, talked to the whole coaching staff. It was cool. I felt like that was home for me, and it was family. I came in on the spot. Yeah. What was the biggest adjustment from Tampa to Toledo? The weather, just the weather. Me being in the heat all day and going up there in the cold weather, just I had to get it right because at first when I went up there, I ain't had no big coat. I ain't had no jacket. So I was cold. I had to go to the store and get all that. You know, I played in Tampa, right? I played for the Buccaneers, right? That's where I was drafted. Yeah, I was the quarterback down there. And I know that's when you know you're getting old because people from there, like I didn't even know that. I mean, damn. But at the same time, yeah, watching people get 62 degrees in Tampa, people start putting a winter hat on. Yeah, when I first got off the plane and I landed on Toledo, Ohio, I was like, yeah, this ain't it. I was like, this ain't it. But it's like moving, going all the way down there just made me lock in, and stayed focused for real because I had no family, no friends down there. So I was just focused on football, and that's it. What high school did you go to in Tampa? I went to Arnwood my first year. First semester, I transferred to Lakewood High School across the bridge to St. Petersburg. Damn. Okay, yeah, Lakewood. I know both of them, Arnwood and Lakewood. Yeah, right. You know, Dante Fowler. Dante Fowler, the Griffin twins. Oh, yeah, both the Griffin twins. Marquez Valdez-Scantlin. Yes, sir. Damn, okay. All right. All right, so you're 62-202. 6'3". 6'3". Officially? Officially? I weigh in 6'3". Did you weigh a 202 exactly? Yes, sir. I weighed a 203 this morning. Now, you didn't, like, try to get up on your toes or anything when they measured you, right? They didn't let you do that. They nail your feet to the ground. They will push your head down. They'll push my head down. They'll push you down. I'm like, chill, chill. They'll hurt. They do. They try to get their own right height. Right? They really do. They push your head down. You're like, damn, you're jamming my neck, man. I'm like, what are you doing? Off of that, I'm just always interested in this because safeties are freaks in nature more times than not. Can you just eat whatever you want? Do you have to worry about putting weight on, losing weight, any of that? At first, I was just eating whatever I want. I had to just slow down on that and just work on my diet and become eating healthy. And that's what got me to a better position right now, just eating healthy and changing my eating habits. All right. So at some point it hit you, you wanted to be a little healthier. I wanted to be a little healthier and just build on straight muscle. Okay. Because you don't look like you're getting fat any time soon. That's not happening. We got a good recent Toledo player in the NFL who somehow ended up in the – did Quinone Mitchell end up in round two? No, he was round one. Yeah, yeah, okay. That's what I thought. He fell to the 20s. That's right. He should have been way before that. That's right. Right. Have you talked to him? Do you work with him? Does he help you out in getting you ready for this process? Yes, sir. We all – all our DBs, we all in a group chat on social media, on our phone numbers. We all be in touch like every day for real, just chatting up, just seeing how we've been doing, just seeing how we're living. Yeah. Who's the safety you like right now in the NFL? I like Derrick James and Eman Ward right now. Well, I got a lot. I got a lot. I haven't studied you yet. Yeah. But between your name, which sounds like Eman Warray when you say it all together, when I first heard about you, I was like, what? Has he got another family member? And you have the same body type as him? So that's kind of your guy you look at, Eman Warrion, Seattle Seahawks? Yes, I've been watching a lot of guys, but I say Todd Hamilton, Derrick James, and Eman Ward, those long, big safeties. Yeah, I hear you. Who is it that you can't wait to really put a big hit on in the NFL? Man, I say Derek Herring. Oh, be careful what you wish for. Sometimes people be scared of going against the talent. When that stiff arm's coming for you, though, what are you going to do? Are you going to grab it? I'm not that stiff horned down. I got to call that power. I know he ain't coming with power, so I got to call that power too. Yeah. All right. All right. Just so you know, when that first matchup happens next year, we're going to be watching. I don't see. All right. We're going to be watching. Like, damn, damn. McNeil Ward told us. Yes, sir. But if you get, you know, thrown to the ground, we're going to go, we told you. Listen, I ain't going to get rid of it, though. All right. He just want me over and stay up. I like it. I like it. You're the oldest of nine? I'm the first boy of mine. Yeah. You're the oldest boy, but the first middle child. Oh, okay. I got three older sisters and one little sister. Okay. And three younger brothers. Damn. Any of the other athletes? They all done with football now. All done? They all graduated. It's just my little sister in the house growing up by herself now. Okay. Wow. Damn. That's a lot of damn kids in the house. Mom's a champ for that one. Man, just taking care of us. Just trying to be there for all of them. They look up to me, so I try to not let them down. Yeah. Yeah. Good for you, man. Yes, sir. What's your favorite meal mom makes you? I say mac and cheese with cornbread, collard green, and baked chicken. Okay. That's solid right there. I love mac and cheese. You know that's my dish. That's your dish is the mac and cheese? Yes, sir. That's not for me, that one. Were you a Buccaneers fan growing up? Yes, I was a Buccaneers fan. Not that big of a fan. Not that big of a damn fan. He only cares about the guys that were good. I had that one year, okay? That one year. No, wait. What year were you born? 2004. 2004? Damn. Yeah, I mean, he was one when I went to the playoffs with the Buccaneers. One. Nah, damn. He wasn't watching then. That's right. I mean, he wasn't watching from the cradle. All right. You talked about that. Talk about your game altogether. I know you're a baller and all that, but what's one thing you want to get better at in the NFL? I'd say just my technique for real and better positioning and taking great angles to get better than that. Technique like in coverage and stuff like that? He had a technique of coverage and position, like taking great angles and stuff. Yeah. And pursuing to the ball, like, with great angles. Right You talked to Quinion at all Yes sir Yeah I talked to him like recently And he was down there in Toledo while I was down there So we been chatting up Yeah Yeah Quinone a baller man We been sending each other some reels We all be in the group chat just sending reels, talking, just twirling, trying to be funny. Yo, is that right? Yes, sir. They're just funny reels, like crazy crap? Just funny reels, just joking around on the group chat. That's cool that he stays. I mean, he's certainly, you're younger than him. That's cool he kind of stays in contact with you guys. He kept us motivated. He kept us, like, pushing. Kepa is like on the right track. We see him. He can do it from a small school. Right. So we're telling each other we can do the same. Man, I knew I liked Quinion Mitchell. That's the man's type stuff right there. Doing everything? Yes, I'm doing everything. Probably just not bench press. I ain't doing bench press. Yeah, well, you know, just keep working. You'll get pecs like me one day, all right? Keep working. And if not, just wear your shirts really tight so they look bigger than they are. You're tight, you're tight, you're tight. That's all. That's all. Oh, that's awesome, though. You're going to do it all. Yes, sir. Yeah? All right, 40. We always ask range. You don't have to put yourself out there. I'm doing good time. Yeah? Yes, sir. What are you going to be happy with? What's the number you got? Anything below that, I'm good. Anything below a 4-5, I'm great. Right, yeah. You're right. You will be great. Cha-ching if you're below a 4-5. You'll be able to get some bigger-ass diamonds you got on your ears. All right? Damn, the big ones. You're winning the award so far. Nah, these are not real, though. Okay, all right. That's what Chad Johnson says. Just don't. Everybody's going to assume they're real. Those are good ones. So just. That's right. They're pretty good. They're pretty good. They can build them in a lab almost as good as they look coming out of the ground. And they're a lot cheaper that way. Hey, before we let you run, and since you're going to have plenty of people to say hi to, we want to give you a chance. Say hi to anybody you want to say hi to. Say hi to my mom. I know you're watching this. I appreciate you for keeping me going, keeping me motivated. And my granddaddy, I know you're watching over me. I'm just doing it for you. I'm going to stay blessed up for you. All right, mom. Mom, and I'm on some of that chicken, that baked chicken. I'll take the mac and cheese. I'll take the mac and cheese. I'll eat his mac and cheese. And I'll get him on the bench press, Mom. We'll get him there. We'll get him there. I'll be bored of you. You probably do. All right, man. You're a good dude. Thanks for coming. Hey, we wish you all the best. Congratulations on your success and make everyone at Toledo and in Tampa proud. He is Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. We'll be back with more from the combine. We continue at the scouting combine, and we are talking to defensive backs, specifically safeties. We have another Longhorn. He's got his Longhorn shoes on. He's singing the Texas fight song. Texas fight. That's all I know. That's all I ever sing. Texas fight. Texas fight. There's more to it, right? There is. That's just the one little part of it. I can't go through the whole song. Please don't go through the whole song. Do you know the whole song, start to finish, word for word? You have to. I was five years old. Wow. Oh, lifelong Longhorns fan. There we go. Keep going with the rest of it. Fortunately, he wasn't born while this one was breaking the hearts of Longhorns fans against Oklahoma. So you're lucky for that. Oh, man. I sure am. Thanks, man. Nice to meet you, too. I appreciate it. Yeah, we had a tough time with Oklahoma when I was playing there, no doubt. But, all right, first off, talk your family history. I mean, he talked about that, but it's extensive at the University of Texas. So tell everybody about it. Yeah, I'm a fifth-generation Longhorn. Wow. You know, great-great-grandfather was the first one that went to the University of Texas. And, you know, they were driving down from Richmond, Texas. So now, you know, I was born and raised in Austin, went to Westlake High School. So, you know, my sister went there, my brother went there. Yeah. You know, I went there, my mom and dad and everybody. So I was born and raised with that burnt orange. Okay. All right. So, and anybody play football other than you? No, sir. Now, my grandfather swam. He was an All-American swimmer, but I was the only football player. Okay, yeah, we know how to swim in Texas. We're damn good at that, too. We are. We definitely are. Did you know that I played quarterback for the University of Texas? Did you know that? They briefed me on it. Look at this. Look at this shit. This is just these damn young kids got no respect anymore. They're telling the guys, hey, just so you know, he's a little sensitive about the fact. I'm on the wall. He's a little sensitive. With the players of the year. Today's players don't know who he is. They have a portrait of me in the facility. You didn't know who I'm just. My dad's going to be mad at me. He's going to be mad at me. Good, Dad. Get him for me when he gets home. Please do. You played corner, receiver, and returner in your senior year of high school. What drew you to the defensive side of the ball in college? Yeah, I loved playing defensive back, just being able to manipulate what the quarterback sees, disguise and everything. And, you know, I played corner, and all of a sudden, the first day that I get to the University of Texas, they're like, no, you're going to play safety. There's no stereotypes behind that, I swear. right guys? You know you're talking the right guy here. White corners, they don't exist in the NFL really. Yeah, they don't. So I moved to safety and I was blessed because we had Coach Blake Gideon. He was one of my most favorite coaches that I've been around and so it was a blessing but yeah I thought I was going to be corner. They had a little bit of a guess that they were going to move me to safety and day one sure enough they did. They were like, you're Westlake fast but you're not Texas corner fast. It was a little difference there. Westlake of course is Drew Brees' old high school. I played with a few guys on my team, Brett Robin, running back, right? He was there with me at that time. But you got offers to go D1, and you just still decided to walk on in Texas. Was there ever any thought of not going to Texas, or was it just like I'm going there no matter what? I was actually committed to Rice University. Wow. Yeah, yeah, there it goes. And for me, it was like, all right, this is kind of my best option. Texas really hasn't called me yet. And I ended up playing in the state championship against Southlake Carroll, a quarterback by the name of Quinn Ewers. Yeah. And he's my best friend now, so I get to say it on live TV. But I picked him off twice in the game. Way to go. All right. Eat it, Quinn. We definitely had some choice of words after that game. Now we're best friends. But I texted the recruiter at Texas, and I was like, you know, he was committed at the time to Texas. I was like, man, what do we do now? Does that have to do anything more to get a shot at Texas? And soon enough, Blake Gideon gives me a call and says, hey, we have a spot to walk on. I was like, I'm in. He was like, whoa, now, hey, you're committed to Rice. Let's make sure you think through this. And I was like, no, this is where I've always wanted to be. Let's go do it. You've been thinking about it. Yes, sir. After you finished second-team All-American in 2024, how close do you come to entering the draft then? How hard was it to bypass that and go back to school for another year? I had my Airbnb in San Diego booked. I had my rental car booked. I think the payments from my agent to the trainer was already set in stone. The flight was booked and everything. Coach Sarr gave me one last call. I called Sam Ellinger, as you sure know. He knew who I was. Yeah, definitely. He had a little bit of age on me. And what we talked about was, look, you have an opportunity one year left to go change the narrative at the University of Texas to go bring back a national championship. And that's something that I always wanted to do when I was a kid and when I got there. And so why not go be the captain of the defense? Why not go try to change Texas and go be a legend forever and go beyond that wall? And so that was my decision. I was like, man, I don't feel right about going to the NFL. NFL was great, and that was my dream, my ultimate goal. But I want to go be a legend in those 40 acres. Yeah, good for you. Enjoy that time. It only comes around once, and it's gone. And damn, it's some of the best times of your life. That's for sure. You know, me walking and running down the stairs to Jester Dorm to make it over to the practice facility in time, right, during nap of training camp. That's right. I mean, so, all right, Westlake, I want to go into your personal life a little bit. I know you've got to like the lakes, Lake Travis, Lake Austin, whatever, right? You hang out on there a lot with the boat. Did you guys do that as a team a lot, too? Yeah, we would bring out – my parents, they have like a boat club, so we get the boat every now and then. And so I brought the safeties out a couple times. So we would go out there, wake surf, and watch some of the guys fail at wake surfing. But it was fun. So wake surfing a lot, and then me and ours get pretty competitive on the golf course. Okay. I'm not shocked by that. All right. So one more thing about when you go to – you're probably a Lake Travis guy, right? I'm a Lake Austin guy. You're a Lake Austin guy. Okay. He's not as bougie as I thought. We've got to get you to Austin so you can experience this. But do they still have the rope on the tree that you can swing into the water? They sure do. Damn. That was like my favorite. So me Shanahan Bo Skafe Rod Babers all these guys that he doesn know who the hell they are anymore I for sure know Rod Babers I think he knows who Kyle Shanahan is He knows who Kyle Shanahan is too I better go out there Exactly He might be playing for him But either way, yeah, we'd go out there and swing off the damn rope, and it was some of the best memories of my time at Texas. It was special. Hey, we've got to mention too, you had a hell of an honor last year. This Warfel Trophy is a big deal. Yeah. What did it mean to you to get, which is essentially the highest honor for community service, academic achievement that college football has available? Yes, sir, I appreciate you saying that. I think for me and the past Warfel winners, we always talked about this at the banquet, it was an honor to be blessed with that community, and it was so cool to see so much change in the world with all those guys in that building when we had the banquet. But none of us did it for that praise. It wasn't like, all right, I want to go win the Warfel. How do I do that? What's the game plan? It was, I want to go be significant in my community. And on top of that, we were getting recognized for the Warfel Trophy, And Daniel Werfel is one of the greatest people that I got to meet these last couple years. And so, you know, it was really, it was super special. But definitely none of the 21 members of the All-State team, including myself, were doing it for the recognition. It was out of love of trying to change the world one by one. That's awesome. I can tell you're naturally a nice person. It comes easy to you for sure. You're very respectful, way too respectful of me and him. But not nearly as knowledgeable as he would like about Texas. I'm really disappointed. You hurt my ego today. I thought at least the Texas guys are remembering. I think I'm 0-4 so far. Before we go, we need to let you run. But we want to give everybody a chance. Look into the camera. Say hello to anybody you'd like to say hello to. Yeah, hello, Mom and Dad. Hello, Phillip, Robert, and Mary. And hello, Nana and Pops. All right. And Phillip, Robert, and Mary are who? Your brother or sister? Brother or sister. All right. Just wanted to make sure they weren't just some randos at the University of Texas. Michael Taft, my new favorite Texas longhorn. Oh, don't do that. Don't do that. We'll be back with more from the combine. Appreciate you guys. All right, it's safety day here at the Scouting Combine. Joining us now from Oregon, Dylan Thienemann. Dylan, welcome. How are you? I'm great. Thanks for having me. Man, we're glad to have you, man. Definitely. Awesome year. All right. Oregon, defensive football team, all that. But you grew up not far down the road here. Yeah, just about 30 minutes. And you went to Purdue. Yeah. Two years? Two years, yep. And then last year at Oregon. Yeah, how did it kind of happen? Had that transition happen? Really just going through that sophomore year. Didn't have the best year. We were 1-11 as a team. Right. And so, personally, myself, I didn't play to the level I needed to. The team didn't play to the level we needed to. And I felt like I needed to kind of change the scenery. Right. A new environment. And because I took my development, like, took it very important. So, I feel like I needed to set myself up in the best position for the next level. Yeah. And that took me to Oregon. Right. When did you know that you had special football skills? I feel like very young. It was always football. Football was my favorite sport. And then seeing my brothers play, and then we'd be in the backyard, called it a return game. So my second brother, Brennan, would throw the ball down to me, and he would run down, and it's like he's literally just one-on-one. You got a kick return. Yeah. Yeah, it's a kick return. It's a great game. I played it all the time growing up too. I got him a few times, and then he would get mad, and then he would take it out on me. Right, right. It hit you extra hard. Like, going to give it to you there big time. Well, Brennan's got a great story from when you were playing flag football. He says, Dylan took the ball and juked eight players, every guy on the field. Jake, your other brother, and I were refereeing. We high-fived each other. That's amazing. Probably not the way you want the referee in the game to be an referee. A little bias there. That's incredible. All right. So, you know, you talk about that tradition or the transition, excuse me, from Purdue to Oregon. What was the difference of the football culture, right, and everything that Dan Lanning brings to Oregon and everything about that team there? I feel like it's just the standards that the teams have. Purdue, we were really trying to win games. You get over there at Oregon, it's like your expected national championship. So different level of accountability people are held to over there. and I feel like everyone's really bought in. They have so much depth, too. If you're not doing what you're supposed to, you're going to get buried because the next guy can step up, take your place. What workouts are you going to be doing here? Planning to do everything. Everything? Yeah. Doing it all. 40, all that. You want to give us a range? I'm going to give us a range of the 40. What are you going to be happy with? Anything under what number? My goal is to hit 4-3. Your goal is to hit 4-3. Damn, white lightning over here, huh? Okay. I like it. Damn, 4-3. The goal I set beginning of training, kind of end of the year. Right. So that's what I've always been fighting for. All right. So growing up, Colts fan? Yeah. All the way? Huge Colts fan. Who's the first guy in the NFL you want to tackle or intercept? Who's the way you think about that? Like, who is it? It's like Patrick Mahomes. Yeah, that's a pretty good one. Top of the league. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Damn, I got Patrick Mahomes. That's pretty good. What area of your game are you hoping to improve on, get to the next level when you are at the next level? I feel like tackling I did really well at, but there was times I was getting too high. Taking too high and, like, if you're in this next league, like playing too high, like some bad stuff is going to happen. So just staying low and making sure I'm running my feet on contact. All right. Who got you the best in college? Because, yeah, you stay too high. Somebody's going to run you over in the NFL. Anybody get you in college good? Yeah. Hill. I like it. Allen from Wisconsin my freshman year. Oh, number 27, Braylon Allen, the Jets running guy. Well, damn, yeah. He got me twice that game. Yeah, I'm sure he's got a lot of safety twice. Nobody wanted to get in front of that freight train. I hear that. Damn. Your game at – oh, you said that. Sorry, excuse me. Safety, though. Safety, anybody you look at in the NFL that you, like, model your game after? Yeah. Looking at a number of safeties. Coming to Oregon, I had an offseason, so I was able to look at it a lot more. Buda Baker was one up there. I was looking at him a lot. Kirby Joseph with his ball skills. Kyle Hamilton a little more with his versatility, like rolling down and playing that big nickel. Do you envision yourself more of a middle-of-the-field guy or a guy that's going to be down there in the box? I feel like I can do both. I have most reps playing in the middle of the field, playing especially at Oregon, I mean, two years back there. Right. Played a little strong safety there. And then at Purdue, yeah. And then at Oregon, we did field of battery, played both there. Cross-trained at star. Okay. So I feel like I can play multiple spots. What was that phrase you just said there? Field the what? Field the battery? What did you say? Boundary. Boundary. Sorry. Okay, got you, got you. I was like, man, there's some new lingo I don't know. I wasn't sure. He's getting very nervous because he's starting to feel old. So he's always on the lookout for something he doesn't go about. I'm like, damn, did I miss this? Yeah, that does happen. Sorry. Hey, we've been telling everybody who's sitting in that seat, you get a chance to look into the camera, say hello to anybody you care to say hello to. Yeah, just say hello to my family. And, yeah, about it. Yeah, what's up, family? What's up, brother referees favoring your brother? Like, what's up? Yeah, come on. I don't think they'll let your brothers be game officials when you're playing. I don't think that'll work. They'll probably be a little biased there, too. All right, what number are you going to wear in the NFL? So, goals are stick with my number, 3-1. 3-1. Any reason you wear that? It's a combination of both my brothers from Purdue. So, oldest brother was 41. Okay. And then second brother was 38. All right. There we go. Yeah, yeah. 31 is way better than those two numbers. I like that better. Boy, that's a great photo. Man, look at that right there. Incredible. Look at you, the youngster on the left. Wow. Yeah. Your hair is a little redder then, too. A lot more blonde and stuff. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, definitely. That's awesome, man, that you got to experience that. Two damn divisions. Who's the athlete in the house? Oh, me. No, but like the mom and dad. Like who? Oh, probably my dad. Yeah, your dad. Yeah. I mean, he did four years baseball in high school and then played football one to two years cross country. Right. He had an offer cross country Notre Dame and football West Kentucky and then chose to go to Purdue. Okay. For that education. There you go. All right. Well, Dylan, congratulations on your success. We wish you all the best as you head to the NFL. He's Dylan Thienemann. We'll have plenty more here from the Combine.
