Chapelle Russell at the NFL Combine

This week owlsports.com attended the NFL Combine to catch up with Owls' LB Chapelle Russell. Here is a transcript of his interview with the gathered media:

What's the week been like for you?
"It's been exciting being here with some of the top guys in the country. Coming out here meeting everybody. I'm just excited to show my talent and compete with the best of the best."

What's it been like rooming with Shaun Bradley?
"It's been real comfort, you know, coming out here knowing you have someone to rely on. This could be real stressful so to have somebody that I'm used to and comfortable with, and someone that I can go out and compete with as well, it be great. You know we've been doing that for the past four years."

He mentioned that you guys of been competing, what's that been like?
"Cool. We always talk trash to each other and we like seeing who's faster, better at this, better at that. Just the competition between us two has been intense so I can only imagine when we go out there on Saturday. The whole time we were training we were passing each other's numbers. Trying to push each other that way and we know everybody's trying to handle their business but you know we're that way. We're gonna push each other. We're kind of similar players as far as speed, strength, explosiveness. We always compare each other's numbers just to see where we're at."

How has it been going?
"It's been great. I'm looking to open up a lot of people's eyes. I've been training at EXOS in San Diego. They're doing a great job over there. I've gained a lot of muscle, gotten a lot more explosive, faster everything. I'm just ready to showcase everything."

How have your meetings been going so far?
"The meetings have been going good. I met with nearly all 32 teams. During the interview process I really don't have any downtime. I'm getting snatched up by another team. It's going good. I hope I've been impressing a lot of people. I think I'm I've been impressing them with my film, my intelligence for the game as well. I feel like I've been impressing them writing out my scheme and then learning their scheme and teaching it back to them. They said that's kind of a thing that separating me from a lot of other people."

What are some of the things they've been asking you?
"Well they want to know a lot about your background, your motivation, while you do this and really just talk football. The coaches here they want to know if you can learn quick. And for me being under three different coaching staffs, I learn quick having to learn three different defenses. That's what helped me pretty well, you know, for me. Maybe a couple of other players have gone through that. They really want to know about my speed, so I'm just ready to showcase that."

What are some other things that you think Temple might've helped you with?
"Toughness and grit. Being accountable, being on time, everything. The things they instilled in me allow me not only to be a great player but a great man as well. I think Temple builds character being in North Philly for the past four years. It definitely builds character and determination to stay on track and stay focused. It's been great I wouldn't have picked any other school. I'm Temple proud for life. The coaches there and everybody I met, they just steered me the right way the whole time it's allowed me to keep going."

If the Eagles were to pick you would that be kind of cool to continue playing at the Linc?
"The Linc that's the home turf, my favorite stadium to play in. If I was able to stay home, all the love is still there I wouldn't mind it at all. If they want to draft me, hey I'm all for it."

Have you talked to them this week?
"Yes they were the one of the first teams to snatch me up. I had a great conversation with them, talking scheme, talking about me, and talking about what I can do with them. I feel that they are excited about me, and if they're excited about me, I'm excited about them."

Is there one thing that you're hoping these teams take away from these meetings with you?
"That I'm a great man rather than just a great football player. I never came out disrespectful to anybody that I've come in contact with. I'm respectable and dependable and at the end of the day you're going to get the most out of me. I've come in every day to work and I feel that's what's got me this far. I'm going to keep doing what I'm told and I'll always be prepared."

Based on the numbers you and Shaun are texting each other you think Saturday's going to be close?
"Yes, close real close I think the two of us are going to open a lot of eyes. I don't know that I can say we are overlooked because we are in this room here today, but I think most of most of our careers we've been overlooked compared to a lot of other guys here. I feel like when we go out there on Saturday we're going to be able to prove some people wrong."

Have there been any Temple alums that you've been able to reach out to?
"Yeah I've been in touch with Hassan [Reddick]. Ryquell Armstead, Rock Ya-Sin, Dion Dawkins, Rod Streater - he's actually a scout for the Browns here - Michael Dogbe. All these guys who have gone through the process I've leaned on them a lot. How they approached this process. They've been very helpful. They said to stay calm, don't get overwhelmed, just take it day by day, and soak in every bit of it."

Do you pay attention to where people think that you're going to be picked?
"I would say yeah, I definitely pay attention to it. But it's not something that I weigh myself on because I feel like I have an opportunity today to go change that. That's all I'm focused on right now. I've been playing football for a while now and I know when it's time to put the cleats on, I'm going to go out there and compete with the best. Like I said, it's a game of speed and I feel there's a lot of people don't realize how fast I really am. So I'm excited to go out there and run and compare my speed again some of the top guys in the country. Some people have me at a 4.7, 4.6 but I know I'm faster than that. I think when my time comes around somethings might change for me."

How much confidence does it give you to see guys from Temple like Dion and Haason have success in the league?
"It gives me great confidence. You know cause I'm Temple TUFF. When people see me and that I'm come from Temple that's the first thing they say, especially knowing that I wore single-digit. Knowing the history of Temple, it allows scouts to know what we bring to the table. Whether were the biggest prospect or the lowest prospect in the draft, they know that they're going to get a tough, hard worker. We're gonna work hard regardless."

As someone from Lakewood, New Jersey, how does it feel to be at this Combine?
"A lot of people from Lakewood don't have an opportunity to get to this point, to the stage. To be able to for me to be here, represent my city, watch me back home, it feels great."

Who did you grow up rooting for?
As far as sports teams, I'm originally from Atlanta, Georgi,a so I grew up watching the Falcons a lot. And then when I moved to New Jersey it was the Giants, Eli Manning was doing his thing and they were winning Super Bowls."

You're a fan of Brandon Jacobs how that happen?
"I was a fan of his physicality. The way he played on offense was like a defensive player. That's the way I played, I mimicked his game."

Can you try and describe the culture at Temple?
"The culture at Temple is different. It's just gritty. You're not just going to become a great football player, you're going to become a great man. It's a diversity, you're going to grow up around a lot of people. You build a lot of connections. The coaches that they have there, they allow you to grow mentally and physically. It's a great place to be."

Who are some of the up and coming players at Temple?
"I would say Amir Tyler and Ifeanyi Maijeh. Amir has that dedication and hard work and he has the athletic ability to compete with anybody. He has that toughness and grit to him that allows him to compete with the best of the best. Ifeanyi is a quick, twitchy dude on the d-line he's relentless. He's from New York, and he's also a gritty guy who will get after you. And Jadan Blue is one of the fastest people I know. Quick, explosive. He's humble as ever, he's a man of god and puts his trust in him. And I think he going to put the work in every day to get what he wants. There are a few other guys I can list but those are the first three that come to my mind."

Are you getting any reaction from the NFL scouts to being from Temple?
"As soon as Temple comes up, they look at me and their eyes open a little wider and go 'wow, Temple, Temple TUFF.' I go absolutely. I say that with pride. Because that's all we know back at Temple. Coming in being tough, being relentless, things like that. Me coming from Temple, I feel like it's already a chip on my shoulder. It may not be one of the biggest schools, but I feel one of the best football programs in the country. And just making Temple proud with the resume of players we have in the league now, I'm just going to build that and keep our reputation up."

Do you find that more from the teams that already have a Temple player on it?
"Kind of from everybody. Everybody that says Temple has the same amount of respect for us. They know what we're capable of. They say they watch our film and the one thing they are going to get is toughness. Nobody can take that from me. I'm already out here so they know I have the skill aspect to play in the NFL."

Temple University Athletics

Chapelle Russell at the NFL Combine

Players Mentioned

Ryquell Armstead

Jadan Blue

Shaun Bradley

Dion Dawkins

Michael Dogbe

Ifeanyi Maijeh

Chapelle Russell

Amir Tyler

Rock Ya-Sin

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