Exclusive Interview: Joe Mathis tells BTSC what he can bring to the NFL in the upcoming Draft

For all the NFL Draft geeks out there, you are in for a treat.

After my Joe Mathis scouting report article, I had an unexpected surprise appear in my direct messages. It turns out it was Joe Mathis himself. He reached out to me on Twitter to tell me that it was a good article, while also thanking me for believing in him.

At the time, I didn’t know what to think other than the exciting, rambling thoughts running through my head that consisted of:

“Today was a step in the right direction.”

“I can’t believe Mathis reached out to tell me he liked my work.”

“I must be dreaming.”

I have a long way to go, with still so much to learn, whether it’s landing my dream job of becoming an NFL scout, or getting into sports journalism full time, but I definitely felt like I took a step in the right direction.

Anyway, enough about my personal goals and ambitions, let me get to the point everyone is here for. After Mathis reached out to me, I ended up asking him if I could interview him for BTSC.

He happily obliged, and while it was not in person, it’s still a tremendous opportunity.

Here is some of what we talked about, enjoy.

Interview:

* Note, the first half of this interview took place over direct messaging.

Nick - What would you say makes your game different from other EDGE rushers this year?

Joe Mathis - I pay attention to my weakness. I pay attention not just offensive lineman but the whole offense. I always practice finishing every rep even if the play is away from me.

Nick - So your motor is always running hot, but you also have very good in-game awareness. I like that.

Do you style your play after someone in the NFL? If so, who?

Joe Mathis - Terrell Suggs

Nick - Which parts of his game did you implement into your own?

Joe Mathis - His whole game I been studying his film since I got to college. He plays mind games with lineman they don't know if he's going to bull rush them or let them fall on their face.

Nick - That's a very interesting player to style your game after. I notice you both definitely have the same type of power in your game, but I really like how you said you study the mental aspect of his game, which is a huge part of winning when it comes to pass rushing.

What will your training regimen consist of leading up the draft?

Joe Mathis - staying at 260. Staying at 11% body fat. 6 hours of treatment on my foot everyday. Speed and flexibility everyday and jujitsu.

Nick - That's a good regimen, the jujitsu one intrigued me a bit. I remember your old teammate Hau'oli Kikaha did Judo which seemed to really translate to his play on the field.

Would you say it helps you a lot with you hand usage and technique?

Joe Mathis - Yes I just started doing it. I want to be able to pass rush with my eyes closed.

Nick - Be able to feel what you're doing without seeing it which will help you play fast. You definitely seem to have a good routine.

*Note - This is when we switched to phone call (some of this may be paraphrased) and some of my responses to his questions were not written down.

Nick - Your production sky rocketed your Senior year. What changed, and what do you contribute to those changes?

Joe Mathis - Having a wife and son, struggling. Woke up around 6 o'clock in the morning to work as hard as I could to make sure I was able to feed him. My son really pushed me to grind to my fullest, made me very hungry and I knew that had to feed my son. I showed my coaches what I could do. It definitely pushed me to work harder.

Nick - What areas would you say that you need to improve on the most, or areas you feel get critiqued?

Joe Mathis - Everything. Nobody is perfect. Improving my conditioning and endurance so I don't trip and fall short of the QB. Always working on my craft, trying to perfect it. I feel like playing DT freshmen season helped me improve going against double teams.

Nick - I didn’t know that you played defensive tackle your Freshmen season. That is definitely something that could help.

Who was your favorite NFL team and player growing up?

Joe Mathis - Favorite player was Terrell Suggs, Joey Porter, James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, I like the big outside linebackers. Didn't really have a favorite team.

Nick - If you could hand pick an NFL team to draft you, who would it be and why?

Joe Mathis - Not really a team but any 3-4 defense. I love playing outside backer and I'm better at reading the offense when standing up.

Nick - If you were to say anything to a team leading up to the draft, to get them to draft you...what would you say?

Joe Mathis - I take it personal, I bust my ass, and if I don't bust my ass, I don't feed my family. I'm all the support my family has and if I don't do my job I won't be able to feed my family. I’m all in.

Nick - I appreciate letting me get to interview you, good luck to you and your NFL endeavors.

Joe Mathis - No problem.

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To read the full breakdown of Joe Mathis, you can check out the article HERE.