NFL Draft 2012: Exclusive Interview With Penn State Safety Drew Astorino

Penn State safety Drew Astorino was a defensive captain and selected as an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention this past season, despite a tough season for the university. Astorino’s leadership and work ethic payed off and were showcased as the team kept moving forward, despite any controversy in the media.

Astorino finished his career at Penn State ranked tenth on the all-time tackles list in school history — he finished first in Penn State history with tackles for a defensive back, with 257. He was a Big Ten honorable mention three times and never missed a game during his time in college.

Recently, Drew took the time out of his busy schedule and answered some questions for us here at NFL Spin Zone. A big thanks goes out to Drew and his agent Casey Muir of CRM Sports Management, who set up the interview, for giving us this great insight on a truly respectable player. Here is what Drew had to say:

Josh Sanchez: Where are you currently working out to prepare for the Penn State Pro Day?

Drew Astorino: Yeah, I am working out in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at a place called “Power Train.”

Sanchez: What is a typical workout that you go through like?

Astorino: You know, it depends what day — we do a different body group every day. I’m lifting under Steve Saunders and we do a lot of man work, some free weights, that kinda stuff. We’ve been working on the 5-10-5, you know, the 40. We do that in the afternoon and then at night a lot of times we have something like yoga and then a massage or something like that.

Sanchez: It’s always nice to wind down with something like that, I bet.

Astorino: Oh, yeah. Yoga might be the hardest thing we do. It’s tough, it’s tough. That’s the funny thing about it. I think we are all used to the lifting and running, and we’re all in that kind of shape, but the yoga is tough for everybody. We heat up the room, so we are dying in there.

[For everyone reading this: Yoga is tough! Now, don’t be down playing yoga.]

Sanchez: I talked to Devon Still last weekend, did an interview with him for the site. One of the things that stood out was him mentioning your leadership and how it was a big part of what held the team together during the scandal. How did you manage to keep a level head through all of that?

Astorino: Well, you know, I think it was kind of a group effort. Devon Still, obviously, me and him were defensive captains together along with Derek Moye and Quinn Barham and so, I think through all that we kind of just step up in a different leadership role and take like a coaches stand point, because we were losing different coaches, people were getting switched around. It was a tough thing to do, but we had the responsibility to do that. We earned the respect of our teammates – that’s why they voted us defensive captains – and I think we just banded together as a team. We had a great team. Great character on the team and I don’t think a lot of teams could have done what we did or stuck together like we did.

Sanchez: Do you feel like that situation made everyone grow? Perhaps made you all a little mentally tougher?

Astorino:  Absolutely, I mean, a lot of the focus that people brought on us had nothing to do with football. So, for us to concentrate on football was a tough thing to do, but that was almost one of the best parts of the day. When we could just go out, practice and play football and not even worry about having to answer questions about something that we had nothing to do with.

Sanchez: The Penn State student body really stuck behind you guys. What was it like playing and taking the field for a group of fans that had your back like they did?

Astorino: Ninety-nine percent of the people had our backs the entire time and going through the process we weren’t really sure how everybody was going to react. But the support that they had for the players , doing what we do which is just play football, they were great and I’d expect nothing less. I feel that they are the number one fan section in the country and playing for them is better than playing for anybody.

Sanchez: With Joe Paterno, what was the biggest impact that he had on you?

Astorino: You know, I think it’s caring about what you’re doing. He had pride in what he did and he transferred that over to the players and just working hard. He worked hard  for everything that he got and he enstilled that in everybody else.

Sanchez: Do you remember the last thing that he said to you?

Astorino: The last time we talked to Joe  was when he announced his retirement to us. He just said, he told the team, remember that not only today, not only tomorrow, but for the rest of our lives we are going to be a team and we are always going to be teammates. Never forget that. Always have each others backs, no matter what the situation is. Whether we are two years out of college or fifty years out of college, we are always going to be teammates.

Sanchez: What do you think you will bring to a NFL team?

Astorino: I think I am a tough player. I’m also a smart player. I can pick up the playbooks quickly. I made all the checks and did all that stuff on the defensive side of the ball. I feel like I’m a good tackler and I can cover people, so I think I can do more or less everything and be a good special teams player, as well.

Sanchez: If you had to pinpoint one area, what would you say is your biggest strength?

Astorino: It’s definitely tackling, I mean, I was top ten in tackles in a PSU career and I was in the top three or top four of the team every year that I played, so I can make a tackle when need be. Also, longevity. I was able to start 40 games in my career. I played in every single game in four years, which is tough to do. I think people maybe underestimate me because of my size, but I’ve never not played in a game due to injury or anything like that.

Sanchez: Does being underestimated because of your size give you a chip on your shoulder?

Astorino: It does bring a little chip. It was the same thing coming out of high school and now it’s the same concern going to the next level, but I am just going to do what I got to do. I’m not going to get any taller, that’s for sure, so I just have to play within myself and I don’t think that really hinders me at all. I think I’ve proved that playing four years in the Big Ten – that it really doesn’t matter that much.

Sanchez: Are there any NFL players that you model your game after?

Astorino: Um, not really, but I like the play of Jim Leonhard. I think he’s a smart player. He’s a good tackler. He makes good plays all over the field and he has had a long career, so I try to emulate him a little.

Sanchez: Any favorite teams growing up?

Astorino: I liked the Pittsburgh Steelers. I mean, you know, we’re close to Pittsburgh and the family is in Pittsburgh. I enjoy watching them. I enjoy their defense, tough nosed all the time, and Coach Bradley was friends with Coach LeBeau and so we tried to emulate what they did with the zone blitz. Obviously, they have just great players and great defenses all the time and PSU is pretty similar.

Sanchez: Well, as a Steelers fan, what do you think of the Mike Wallace situation? Should the Steelers keep him?

Astorino: You know, I don’t follow it that close, but I know Mike Wallace is a fast receiver, who’s been pretty darn good. So, uh, as a d-back, I’m sure I wouldn’t want to go up against him. Just cause of his sheer speed and what he has done in the NFL.

Sanchez: What are your goals for the NFL Draft? Do you want to get that phone call on draft day or do you just want a chance?

Astorino: You know, I’m not really worried about getting drafted or not. If I get drafted, that’d be great, but at the same time I just want to get a chance to make a team and get a chance to show a team that I can play, I can contribute any way they need me too and I’m just hoping for that chance. Whether it is getting drafted or as an undrafted free agent, that doesn’t really bother me.

Sanchez: What would getting that chance to play in the NFL mean to you?

Astorino: I’ve been working real hard since I was in high school. I think that is with any football player, especially when they are playing at the collegiate level. You want to move on to the pros, so I was happy that Penn State gave me a chance to show them, cause not a lot of teams did give me a chance coming out of high school. So, I am hoping the same thing happens at the pro level.

Sanchez: Do you have any final thoughts that you think the readers should hear from you?

Astorino: To the teams and the fans, hopefully just give me a chance. I think I have proved myself at every level that I have been at and I am pretty confident that I can prove myself at the next level. All I am looking for is a chance to be able to prove that.

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