| Q: There’s been a lot of
speculation about where you might go. What are you hearing? Pennington: I have
no clue what’s going to happen until Draft Day. There are crazy things that go on
with trading up and trading back and last-minute decisions. I’m just here to give my
best effort physically and mentally with the interviews, show people what type of
character I have and let them make the decisions.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish at the Combine?
Pennington: The biggest thing you’ve got to remember, as a player, you’ve got
to be yourself. I’ve just got to be Chad Pennington. That’s the type of guy
who’s very humble, is going to tell you straightforward answers to questions, will do
everything that’s asked of me and just give it my best effort.
Q: When did you first realize the first round would be a possibility?
Pennington: It’s always been a dream of mine to play in the NFL. You hear talk of
the first round, especially during your senior year, but you never know until Draft Day.
As a player, you just want to make sure you do all the necessary things you’re asked
to do and show people what you can do so you get picked as high as possible.
Q: You were MVP of the Senior Bowl. How did that help you out?
Pennington: (Going to) the Senior Bowl was one of the best decisions I ever made and
one of the best decisions the people around me helped me make — to go and showcase my
talents and to show the intangibles, the leadership qualities, off-the-field activities,
stuff like that.
Q: Do you think you should be the No. 1 quarterback drafted?
Pennington: I think whoever picks me will be pleased. I’m not a cocky guy.
I’m confident in my ability. I take great pride in being a team guy, being a team
leader. … So whoever picks me, I think we’ll have a great relationship.
Q: What about making the jump from Marshall to the NFL?
Pennington: We’ve got five guys from Marshall here at the Combine. Even though we
played for a small school in a small conference, we beat the ACC, the SEC, the Mountain
West. I’ve played in the big games. Even when we were in I-AA, we were playing for
national championships. That’s really helped prepare me for tense situations. The
best thing about being here, they don’t care what school you’re from —
it’s how you perform. … It’s all about perception. You guys know that.
It’s all about how they perceive your league, and we’re trying to change that
perception.
Back to Scouting Combine main page |
