Rams Seventh-Round Draft Selection LB Dakota Allen – Conference Call – Saturday, April 27, 2019
Rams Seventh-Round Draft Selection LB Dakota Allen – Conference Call – Saturday, April 27, 2019
(On his reaction on being picked by the Rams)
“I’m emotional and I broke down in tears. Me and my family, we’ve been waiting on this moment for so long. And I’m just so excited to be an L.A. Ram.”
(On it being a long journey to get to this point and what enabled him to make the the turnaround going to East Mississippi Community College and going back to Texas Tech)
“You know, I had a mistake in my past and the biggest thing is, I learned from it and I grew from it as a person. I’m just excited to continue my football career as an L.A. Ram.”
(On if he thought the Rams might be a team to select him)
“I did have some contact with them. I wouldn’t just say 100 percent that I knew that they were going to pick me. I’m sorry I’m emotional.”
(On his interaction with NFL teams during the draft process regarding his past incident at Texas Tech and rebounding from it)
“Normally when I talked about it, I was just open and honest, and I told them what I learned from it. Their reaction to it was, ‘Everybody makes mistakes. As long as you learn from it, as long as you grow from it, and as you long as you don’t make the same mistake twice.’ So, that’s the most reaction I got.”
(On what he learned from his mistakes looking back)
“I’d say, I learned what’s important to me, and that’s definitely my family and that’s definitely football. I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize either one of those things.”
(On if he’s ever been out to Los Angeles before)
“I have. I want to say a couple of spring breaks ago, but definitely not under the same circumstances.”
(On his experience participating in the television show ‘Last Chance U’ and if people still recognize him from the show)
“Honestly, it was a weird experience, but also a great experience. People do recognize me from the show. They recognize me as sort of the good guy on the show (laughs). The whole experience was just amazing and I’m thankful for it because I was able to continue playing football.”
(On where he thinks he would fit in best in the NFL and what kind of player he thinks he can be)
“I will fit in wherever I am coached to fit in. When a get there, I’m going to work hard from day one. I’m going to take it day by day, get better and be coachable, and just hopefully contribute to the team.”
(On if he thought the NFL was no longer a possibility after he first left Texas Tech)
“Oh, yeah. Absolutely. When I first left Texas Tech, I thought I was never going to play football again. That’s why I was so grateful and thankful for the opportunity that East Mississippi provided me. Then once I got that opportunity, I just took it and ran with it. I honestly can’t believe I’m an L.A. Ram.”
(On playing in the same division as Kliff Kingsbury – his former college coach and now head coach of the Arizona Cardinals)
“Oh, that will be very interesting, but I have nothing but the utmost respect for Coach Kingsbury. I mean, he was the one that allowed me back on the team the second time. So, I mean, I love Coach Kingsbury, but I’m definitely a competitor and I’m ready to compete.”
(On where he was when he got the news that the Rams were drafting him)
“I was in my living room with my family.”
(On where he lives)
“In Humble, Texas. It’s like North Houston area.”