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2002 NFL draft

Q&A with Bryant McKinnie

April 20, 2002

A: Oh, definitely. They were looking at me because they want me to step — they need me right away to step in because they lost a tackle (with Korey Stringer’s passing), and I am going to try to just provide everything that he would have.

Q: Some questions came up about your work ethic. Do you know what that came from?

A: I have no clue. Let me tell you one thing: In practice, you practice how you play. Your practice is going to carry over to the game. If I never gave up a sack in practice, therefore, I never gave up one in a game. So how can you say if I took off a play? Trust me, somebody would try and take advantage of it. They have me confused with (Florida’s) Alex Brown. (Laughter) I hope that ain’t on TV. (Laughs) Don’t write that down. It’s bad enough him and me had to meet in the Sugar Bowl.

Q: What do you think is the biggest adjustment you are going to have to make going to the next level?

A: Just keeping my body healthy and make sure I get iced up and everything because the season is a lot longer than college. (In the) NFL, you’ve got 20-something (games). In college, you’ve got 12.

Q: Were there any other spots where you thought you were going to go before (Minnesota at No. 7), where you thought you were definitely the guy?

A: I knew somebody — I thought somebody was going to trade, like Jacksonville, but I wasn’t too sure. I only talked to Minnesota at the Combine. Me and Coach (Mike Tice) got along pretty good, but I never went up there for a visit. They never called me on the phone after the Combine, so I had no clue.

Q: The early picks in this draft did not include a running back or wide receiver but had a lot of focus on offensive and defensive line. Does that strategy make sense to you?

A: You need an offensive line to give the quarterback time, giving the running back holes to run through and the receiver to catch the balls if the quarterback has got time. You need to go there first, got to get your offensive line first and defensive line. The (defensive line) will provide pressure on the quarterback, and that will help turnovers, and that will help you get down to the other end of the field. In the second round you can get a running back, and he will turn out to be one of the all-time best, you never know.

Q: You’ll be playing in a domed stadium, but are you looking forward to the climate change (from Miami to Minnesota)?

A: When I went to junior college in Scranton, Pennsylvania, it was cold up there. I played on AstroTurf up there on my home field. I have been through freezing cold to the hot, humid summer. It’s not a big thing.

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