Name: RJ Prince
School: University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Position: Right Guard (can swing to left guard, and played at right and left tackle my first three years of college)
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 320
Q: What were some of your goals heading into your final collegiate season?
My one true goal heading into my final season was to be the best teammate I could be and to be consistent game in and game out; practice as well. I also wanted to get outside of my comfort zone and become more of a vocal leader on the team.
Q: If you could describe your style of play in 3 words, what would they be?
Adaptive, Energetic, Cerebral.
Q: How will you train and prepare this offseason for the draft or other pro opportunities?
Right now, I’m training at PRIME Athlete Development down in Kennesaw, GA. While I am training for pro day drills, technique refinement and offensive line drills are a big importance down here. Right now I’m putting a 110% into my training because you only have one shot at impressing NFL teams and scouts. I’m training with intensity and passion because I love this game so much.
Q: When you are studying film, what do you focus on or look for?
In season, we would usually have Monday’s off. During those days in between class, eating, and tutor sessions, I would go through the depth chart, and see who I would be matching up with for that game. For me, I would watch film until about 2 AM in the mornings. I would watch about three games of teams they played against that had a similar offense to what we ran. I would get a feel for how they played and see if there were any tendencies that would signal a blitz or twist. For the inside DT’s, I would see if they were generally read guys or penetrators. I would also try to see how they would handle double team blocks and (in their pass rush) what their go to moves were. For DE’s, I would see what moves they would do if they did a stunt inside. Throughout the week, I would then look more at the LB’s and CB’s. For LB’s, it would be signals they would make, if they were boxed, or anything that would signal a crossfire, or any other blitz. For corner’s, it would be if they ever came down in the box, which could signal a blitz. I really tried to find plays that we had in the game-plan that another team ran against them to see how they handle it.
Q: What separates you from the other players at your position?
One of my greatest strengths is my flexibility. I am naturally flexible and athletic, and that’s always been one of my greatest perks (full split, kip up). To put it simply, I have gymnast flexibility. That’s helped with my durability. I’ve never really been hurt at all playing sports. I can last a long time. I know how to take care of my body.
Q: What kind of strengths and abilities will you bring to a team that will stand out both on and off the field?
I’m the ultimate teammate. I try and treat everyone like they’re the same; I’m a very family oriented person. It takes a team to have success and reach their goals. If there is something that is going wrong, I want to look in the mirror first and see what I can improve on. Plus, I have a very productive mindset. I’m the type of person that feels if I’m not doing anything, I’m wasting my time. I need to be putting work in and progressing on something because life is filled with nothing but opportunity. Why not spend time trying to hone and work on your craft? On the field, I’m energetic, a morale booster, and I’ll doing anything to help the team win. I’m also adaptive. I’ve played all four years at RG on field goal. I’ve been a shield on the punt team my redshirt sophomore and redshirt junior years. I also played on the defensive line for a semester in the spring of 2015. I will do anything for the good of the team. Off the field, I’m a very private person. I make some time to spend time with friends and enjoy some company, but I mainly try to rehab my body and do drills. I’m not the person to party at all. I write books (I finished my first sports fiction novel at the end of last year, and am working on a second novel in music fiction), lift weights, read, and play video games. I also try and be the best role model to those that look up to me.
Q: What is your final pitch or sell to NFL and other pro league scouts?
I’m going to do my best every day to improve my skill, and to be a positive impact on a team. This is my dream, and I am going to put everything I have into this process, and hopefully for an NFL team. I’m durable, athletic, flexible; and I’m a workhorse. There’s nothing to do but to keep moving forward.