| After standing in the shadow of
his brother, Colts LB Mike Peterson, for most of his life, it’s now Adrian
Peterson’s time to make a name for himself. Coming from a Division I-AA school, it
may not be as easy as his brother’s trip to the NFL from Florida. But Adrian has laid
the groundwork with a dominant career on his level, and he answered questions at the
Combine about the transition to the NFL. Q: Have you followed any I-AA running backs
in the NFL and tracked them to see maybe how you would do?
A: A little bit. But I’m an individual, so I can’t say that because so-and-so
did that well that I’m going to do that well. We’re all individuals.
Q: Do you have any preferences of teams as to where you want to go?
A: It doesn’t matter. I just want to get drafted.
Q: Has your brother talked to you about coming here (to the Colts)?
A: They already got a couple of good guys. But I don’t know. I mean if it
happened, I’d come and try hard to get some playing time.
Q: Did Mike prepare you for this at all?
A: A little bit. He mainly said to have fun with it, enjoy yourself. Because there are
about 700 other guys with the opportunity to come down here with all the scouts and
coaches to show their skills.
Q: Did the teams talk to you a lot yesterday?
A: Yeah, I’ve been on the move so much. I was up until about 11:30 doing
interviews, and then it was about time to shut it down.
Q: Is the whole process overwhelming, the Senior Bowl and Scouting Combine and
everything?
A: Oh, I expected it to a certain degree. Because I was at the Senior Bowl and saw how
many worked down there, I could just imagine how it would be with all the players here.
But it’s all right. It’s not overwhelming. I’m enjoying it, actually.
Q: Historically on the collegiate level, you’re statistically (in the same
league) with Ricky Williams, Ron Dayne, Herschel Walker and the great college backs. Do
you belong with them on the field?
A: I think so. If I said I shouldn’t be, I wouldn’t have confidence in my
skills and abilities, and I do have confidence. So I’m going to just keep running
hard and try to produce like I did at the college level.
Q: How big a jump do you think it is from Georgia Southern to the NFL?
A: It’s a tremendous jump from the collegiate level to the NFL. The guys are much
bigger and faster. But everyone has to do it.
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