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Houston Texans Transcripts** DE Jeoffrey Pagan Conference Call
(on if he knew the Texans were interested in him) "Kind of late towards the end of the process they kind of came on, but early in the recruiting process, I would say, I didn't hear too much from them."
(on what he considers to be his natural position) "I would say I would play better as a three-technique but I'm also a defensive end too, so being in the two gap scheme kind of game me the best of both worlds."
(on if he grew up watching a certain player to model his name after) "I really liked Jared Allen growing up and Julius Peppers being from North Carolina. He played for Carolina when I was growing up. Those two guys really kind of motivated me and pushed me trying to be the best that I could be at the time."
(on what his conversations with Nick Saban were like when he was deciding to declare for the draft) "Really just trying to make the best decision for me personally. He really, you know, wanted me to stay and finish and get my degree. That's something that I do plan on doing when I am done playing, but really he just wanted the best for me and we just sat down and tried to figure out what I was going to do."
(on how healthy he is right now following shoulder surgery) "Oh yeah, I am healthy right now. I'm just working on getting my shoulder back up to speed with my other one, just trying to get my strength all the way back, but I'm completely healthy. I've got all my range of motion, got everything back and it feels good."
(on what he thinks about having the opportunity to work with J.J. Watt) "Oh, it's awesome. That's just amazing. He's one of, if not the most dominant player on defense in the NFL. He's just somebody that I look up to and he's somebody that I really want to learn from and continue to build and be an even better player."
(on what he was doing when he got the call) "I was actually in my grandma's bathroom. She was helping me look for some deodorant."
(on what it has been like waiting to get the call) "It's been an array of emotions with excitement, anxiousness and just, really, testing my patience. I'm just so happy that the Texans took this chance and drafted me and let me become part of the program."
(on what made him feel like he was ready to come out of school for the draft) "Well, really, I felt like I was a dominant defensive end in the SEC. I felt like there were some things I needed to work on at the beginning of the year and towards the end of the year I had completely changed some of the things that would have held me back. This does not include my shoulder, but some of the other mental and physical things I had to mature at, and I did. I felt like I was more than capable of playing at the next level."
(on if he thinks he would have gone higher in the draft had he been able to work out at the combine) "Most definitely. I feel like not being able to work out really set me back because I wasn't able to show how much of a freakish athlete I am at my size and the things that I can do. Not being able to, not being shown on film but just being able to run, jump, do all that stuff that I didn't do on film, I feel like had I shown that I would have had a different result. But, God has a plan and I work around it so this was how he wanted it to be."
(on how familiar he is with Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel and his style of defense) "I know he runs a 3-4 defense and it's similar to what I have been in with Alabama. So, hopefully I can get right in and see how I'm already prone to 2-gapping and all that, I can kind of get the playbook and it should be a smooth transition."
