Head Coach
Initial comments ...
"Like I said last night, I'm really excited to get Shemar here. He's a guy we really fell in love with. Our scouts have scouted him since the fall and our coaches fell in love with him over the spring. He fits tremendous needs and a role with us. He's a tremendous fit in the locker room. (He comes out of) a program — we know players there, we know people who have been there, who currently coach there ... they just love this guy. He fits everything we're looking for in one of our players. I know he can't wait to get in here and get to work. Again, he's such a great fit for our defense, such a great fit for our defensive line, and such a great fit for our team. I know our fanbase here in Cincinnati and (the surrounding area) will fall in love with him. I'm just excited to let him get in here, get to work and let him get to know you better. With that, I'll turn it over to Shemar."
Edge Rusher, Texas A&M
Initial comment ...
"How are you all doing?"
How are you doing?
"I'm great. I'm great."
How much sleep did you get last night?
"I barely got any sleep, actually. But I'm excited to be here,."
What was your reasoning for attending the draft in Green Bay?
"My dad said, 'You worked so hard (to get there), why would you not want to go up (on stage) and shake his (commissioner Roger Goodell's) hand?' I was like, 'When you say it like that, I gotta go.'"
What was it like to be on stage like that in front of fans?
"There were a lot of emotions running wild through my body. It's been a long time coming. I've fought through a lot of adversity throughout my football career. I'm just happy I made it."
What is it you had to fight through?
"Being a rotational guy throughout my college career. And also, it was a bumpy ride along the way. I'm not from the best background financially, and I know it took a lot of support to get to this point."
What gives you hope that your best days are ahead of you at the NFL level?
"I know what I'm capable of. I feel like I'm very confident in my abilities, and I know I haven't scratched the surface of where I can be."
How do you think the Bengals can bring that out of you?
"I'm just going to hit the ground running and go to work."
Who did you bring with you here today?
"My dad and my agents."
Is it nice to share the moment with them?
"Of course."
You've mentioned your dad a couple of times since being drafted yesterday. What role has he played in getting you here?
"He's played a very strong role (in my life). He taught me how to be a man, how to talk to people, how to take care of my business, and how to go about things the right way. A lot of things beyond football, he instilled in me. We've gone through my whole life together. I don't think I'd be here without him."
How would you describe your game to the average Bengals fans who might not have seen you play last year?
"Very fast, very violent and very physical, with a high motor."
Have you had any conversations with players yet?
"My former teammate Mac (DT McKinnley Jackson). I met somebody named Joe in the locker room (smiling; referring to Joe Burrow) — he came up to me and was like, 'Hi, my name's Joe. How are you doing? I don't know you.'" (laughing)
Was that unique for you, meeting a guy who has been a superstar in the league the last few years?
"Yeah, it's actually crazy. Seeing people in person is way different than seeing them on TV. It was a cool moment for me."
Did he say anything else to you?
"He was like, "I'm happy you're here. Let's go get some sacks."
Coming from Miami and College Station and now to AFC North football ... what is it going to be like to adjust to that?
"I feel like I'll do just fine. I adapted once. I can do it again. Miami to College Station was like night and day, so I feel like College Station to Cincinnati shouldn't be that hard. I think I'll be just fine."
What have been your first impressions of Cincinnati in just the couple of hours you've spent here so far?
"It's been great. It's been good vibes since I was drafted last night from the fans. Since I've gotten here, the coaches have been very nice and very appreciative toward me."
Who are your favorite defensive ends in the league?
"My favorites right now? T.J. (Watt), Myles (Garrett) and Nik (Bonitto) — and Trey (Hendrickson), of course. A shout out to bro."
Have you talked to Myles Garrett much? Did he ever come back to Texas A&M?
"No, we haven't talked much."
You held up a Bengals jersey with No. 97. Were there any thoughts of keeping No. 4?
"Yeah, there were thoughts of keeping No. 4, but there is a tradition here that defensive linemen wear numbers in the 90s, so I picked the next best thing, No. 97. The player that used to wear it — I appreciate that all of you know who he is (Geno Atkins) — happened to rank as the (Bengals) player with the (most) number of Pro Bowl (appearances) on the defensive side of the ball. I'm going to try to get the same productivity while using the same jersey. I'll try to live up to (it)."
Were you aware of Geno Atkins?
"Of course."
He played a different position on the defensive line as a defensive tackle, but did you watch him play much?
"I'm not going to say I watched him a lot, but growing up I saw a couple of clips. I didn't watch TV too much to be a consistent watcher of his games."
Growing up, who were some of the players that you wanted to be like and mold your game after?
"J.J. (Watt) and Julius Peppers. Definitely those two."
How do you think Trey Hendrickson can help you the most?
"I'm just going to try and be a fly on the wall. He was the sack leader last year, so obviously he's doing something right. Any little bits and nuggets I can get from him could tremendously help my game."
Did you say you've spoken to him yet?
"No."
Do you plan to? Would you like to?
"I hope so. I would like to."
When we saw you at the Combine, you had some pretty outrageous athletic numbers. A 40-inch vertical, a 40-yard dash under 4.6 seconds. Of everything you did at the Combine, which of those numbers do you think you like best and translates best to you being successful on the field?
"Maybe the broad jump. I wasn't expecting a 10'11" — I'm not going to lie to you. I was not expecting a 10'11." It just came out of nowhere that day. My legs went to work for me that day, so thank you legs. I feel like the broad jump really just shows how explosive I can be off the snap of the ball. I feel like that's probably going to translate more. I mean, 40 (yard dash) is cool and all, but you're not going to run 40 yards every time."
You played in a lot of big-time moments at Texas A&M. How does that translate to this next phase of your career?
"It's going to translate by me not making the moment bigger than it is. I've been in big moments before, but the part where people mess up is, people treat it bigger than what it actually is. That's where you start getting nervous and start losing your assignments, start having 'MAs' (missed assignments). So, just trying to go into every game with the same mindset."
Yesterday, you mentioned that you thought Dallas might pick you. When they picked Tyler Booker, did you start to get nervous? Did you start to wonder when you were going to come off the board?
"No. When Dallas picked Tyler, I was very happy for him. That's my dog. I've known him since high school. I'm not a hater. Kudos. I'm happy for him and excited. It was just a shock, I was like, 'OK, I think this is where I'm going, for sure.' But everything happens for a reason, and I feel like God put me here for a reason."
What have been the messages from your Texas A&M coaches and teammates since you got drafted?
"They're all proud of me. They know how much I've worked to get to this point. They know how much I've fought through, so they're all happy for me."
What's got to be hard for someone in your spot is you don't know where you're going to end up for your first job. To be dropped in Cincinnati on a team that expects to go to the playoffs and compete for championships, do you feel lucky that you wound up in a spot like this?
"Of course. Look where I'm at. Look at the team I play for. You all are always competing for a Super Bowl every year. You all are always just right there, so if you all pick me at pick number 17 to be that player to get you all over the hump, I'm extremely honored for that."
What is it you feel you can do to get the team over that hump?
"Just do what my coaches ask me to do. Develop how they want me to develop and be the best player I can be for my team and my teammates."
Sometimes you see when players get drafted and they get that first NFL contract, they purchase a house or a car. Has there been something that you've wanted to do that's been a lifelong dream where you've said, 'If I ever make it to the NFL, I'm going to do this?'
"Probably buy my mom a house. Just take care of my mom. She worked hard, so I think it's time for me to take care of her."
Coming to a team where you know this offseason is going to be spent bolstering the defense, how do you anticipate being able to make an immediate impact as a rookie?
"Just learning from the vet guys, taking advantage of every opportunity I get. Just doing my job to the best of my ability every time I go in the game. Try not to mess up, because I don't want to be that guy. So, basically just coming in and being the best I can be for my team."
What have the conversations with Al Golden been about the plans to use you and about this defense?
"Four down front, five through nine (technique). (The defense's) attack style …"
Would you like to compete to be the guy on the edge on opening day?
"I'm a competitor. I'm not going to say I'm going to sit here and get a starting job, but I'm definitely going to work toward that. I like to compete, I like to have competition, so I don't mind competing for that spot."
Have you reached out to McKinnley Jackson?
"Of course."
What have those conversations been like?
"He's happy for me. He's proud of me. He said the work is not done yet."
