Sharrif Floyd: It would be a "blessing" to be drafted by hometown Eagles

Florida Gators DT Shariff Floyd figures to be one of the first couple names called when the NFL holds its annual draft next month. While he could certainly be gone by the time the Eagles pick at #4, the Philadelphia native said it would be a blessing to return to his hometown as a pro.

"That would kind of be a blessing you know?" Floyd told Michael Barkann on 610WIP. "I leave to go to Florida for college and then to return to my hometown and play in the NFL with the best of the best, it's just a blessing in disguise. It would mean the world to me."

Going to George Washington high school, Floyd experience a rough upbringing in the city. However, he sees his story as one that young people in his position can look up to.

"I guess when I look back now, I was a positive role model for a lot of kids coming up now because not only growing up did I see everything I was not supposed to see at the age that I was, but I also kept my head on straight and I had seen so much bad that it wasn't hard for me to see what was good. I focused on the good and kept focusing on the good and as I got further along my coaches kept telling me, ‘keep doing the right thing. It's going to pay off. Hard work pays off.' I listened to my coaches because I know they had my best interest in hand. I listened to them and kept doing the right things. I never got in trouble growing up, never been arrested or none of that. I guess the whole thing is it's not impossible to get out of a situation where you see no way out."

Floyd said that the one word he wants used to describe him is "nasty."

"I'm one of those guys that don't want to be just a face passing through the league. I want to be there 13, 14 years and when I'm done they say ‘that was a player right there.' When you ask that question to somebody about ‘how do you feel about Sharrif Floyd?' The one word that should come out is ‘nasty.' I want to be known as something great, not just as a player that stopped by and left."

Sharrif says his most natural position would be as a 3 technique defensive tackle.

"I feel I will do whatever is best for the team first but my most comfortable is the three technique. I feel I'm most disruptive of offenses and my get-off, it all works hand-in-hand with that. I feel as if I can bring a lot more to the table as a defensive tackle but also not afraid to play a little bit of defensive end either."

Typically, when you think of the 3 tech you think of 4-3 DTs, but we've seen guys like Justin Smith play the 3 tech to great effect in a 3-4. So Floyd could fit quite well in that role here, depending on whatever front the Eagles do decide to use.

To read more from this interview, check out Sports Radio Interviews.