1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,720 Speaker 1: All right, officially, welcome to Pittsburgh. What was that welcome 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:05,960 Speaker 1: like at the airport? It was crazy. It was a 3 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:08,640 Speaker 1: whole bunch of people just cheering me on and you know, 4 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:11,119 Speaker 1: saying my name, and so I felt you love? What 5 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:13,200 Speaker 1: made you bring the terrible towel and just kind of 6 00:00:13,240 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: get to work as soon as you got there. I mean, 7 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: I'm already accommated. I'm a Stela and that's what I'm 8 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: gonna be. Do you come from a football family? T? J. 9 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,760 Speaker 1: Watt came from a football family. Last year's first round 10 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: draft pick for all Edmunds came from a football family. 11 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: We know the pros. You kind of know what to expect. 12 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 1: You have someone to lean on. It been through the situation. 13 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:34,919 Speaker 1: What are the CONSH manages expectations, what comes with my name, 14 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:38,879 Speaker 1: comes to my last name? And who I associate myself with. 15 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:41,199 Speaker 1: So it's probably just then expectations trying to be the 16 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: biggest part. How do you, I guess, manage those or 17 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: maybe kind of try to create your own path. Yeah, 18 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: you just don't hear it. You know, obviously you got 19 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:52,280 Speaker 1: to know it's coming, and now you gotta hear it. 20 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: Let it go through one air and out the other. 21 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: I had a chance to watch the video that you 22 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 1: watched of your family right after you were selected. You 23 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: have the head owns on. The tears were rolling, just 24 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:04,640 Speaker 1: the messages that they were saying to you. What did 25 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:06,679 Speaker 1: that mean when you had a chance to maybe fully 26 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: digest the things your sisters, your mom and your dad said, 27 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:11,679 Speaker 1: I just meant everything. I just know I have my 28 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: family behind my back. They got my best interests and 29 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: they always been there since day one, and they helped 30 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: me through all the good times, through all the hard times. 31 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 1: Don't matter you know what situation it was. They always 32 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: loved me for me. What do you take away from 33 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,000 Speaker 1: growing up with two sisters? It gives me a sensitive side. 34 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:29,919 Speaker 1: You have a sensitive side. I have a sensitive side. 35 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:32,960 Speaker 1: I have an understanding side. You know. I'm very cameron 36 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,040 Speaker 1: because I got two you know, older sisters that I 37 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,280 Speaker 1: gotta take care of, you know, and I love them 38 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: to death. And there was like my baby. So how 39 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: do you balance that with maybe the side we see 40 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 1: of you on the field, this physical leading, you know, 41 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: very loud player. It's kind of hand to hand, honestly, 42 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 1: you know, sometimes you gotta do tough love. You know, 43 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,120 Speaker 1: you gotta be demanding. You know you're not physical, but 44 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: you gotta be demanded, and you gotta you know, voice 45 00:01:58,760 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: your voice, your thoughts and you know, give directions. Your 46 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: dad coach you in high school, he helped coach you 47 00:02:03,840 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: in college. What's the best piece of advice he's giving 48 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: you as you head into this next chapter? Then just 49 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: take it all in. You know, you agree him to 50 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: do this, and you're you're a professional now hand yourself 51 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: according to you know, there's only so much more I 52 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:18,680 Speaker 1: could teach you. You You know, he learned by experience. When 53 00:02:18,720 --> 00:02:21,400 Speaker 1: did you realize that maybe your dad was who he 54 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 1: was when you were younger, and maybe he started realizing 55 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: that there were those expectations you were talking about her. Yeah, 56 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: I think when I first picked up a football, I 57 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: kind of understood, you know, who my dad was and 58 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 1: you know what he'd been through to get there, and 59 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: now I felt the expectations when I actually started playing 60 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:38,919 Speaker 1: organized football. You know a lot of people recognize my father. 61 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:40,920 Speaker 1: A lot of people looked at me as you know, 62 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 1: just being a shadow with him. So definitely for the 63 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: pressure at a young age. After you were drafted on 64 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: Thursday night, you were talking to Dion Sanders about ray 65 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: Lewis being a mentor also your godfather, Derek Brooks, What 66 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 1: is it like having people like that to lean on? 67 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,079 Speaker 1: This is very, very very fortunate to have those two 68 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: guys in my corner, you know, being able to reach 69 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 1: out to him, know when they're gonna pick up the 70 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: phone and then give me the best advice you know 71 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: and not lead me into the wrong way, And I 72 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:08,679 Speaker 1: was gonna put me down the right path. You know. 73 00:03:08,760 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: I just can't be more thankful for them being in 74 00:03:11,240 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 1: my corner. Did ray Lewis tell you anything about af 75 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:17,080 Speaker 1: C North football? Not yet. We're gonna pick his brain. 76 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:20,560 Speaker 1: Definitely gotta take his speaking of AFC North football, you're 77 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:24,079 Speaker 1: going for playing for a hardball to playing against a hardball. 78 00:03:24,200 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: Will you pick his brain or talk to him about 79 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: facing his brother twice? Maybe even know it was. I 80 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: don't know. If that time comes and I got the 81 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: opportunity to and I feel like I could take it, 82 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: I would. The Steelers talked very glowingly about you and 83 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: just following you since you were under a classman, having 84 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: a chance to meet you with different stops along this process. 85 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: Explain the relationship that you felt you had particularly with 86 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: coach Tomlin. Yeah, definitely definitely hit it off the first 87 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: time we met. We met, you know, we had a 88 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:51,880 Speaker 1: lot to relate to and we just talked about life. 89 00:03:51,920 --> 00:03:53,920 Speaker 1: You know, we kind of dropped the football and we 90 00:03:53,960 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: just talked about life and you know, how to be 91 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:58,120 Speaker 1: a better person and how you take on different things, 92 00:03:58,560 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: you know, to the football part of support, you know, 93 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: I do well, but just just me. Coach Thomon talked 94 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 1: about just being being the best man you could be. 95 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: You said, um, after you were drafted that you knew 96 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: the Steelers were high on you. Does that make you 97 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:14,839 Speaker 1: want to be a Steeler because you knew that team 98 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: wanted you were I'm sure there's other teams who also 99 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 1: probably verbally telling you they were definitely just just knowing 100 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: what the Steelers gave up to get me moving up 101 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: in the draft. I know it's something that they don't 102 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:28,599 Speaker 1: do very often and to have that feeling where it's like, 103 00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: you know, we we really need that guy. You know, 104 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 1: is this a big testament to them and testamate to me? 105 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: Knowing that they want to win and they're gonna bring 106 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:36,960 Speaker 1: the right back to do that. What do you know 107 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: about the Steelers and what do you know about the 108 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: Steelers defense, I noticed, I know, still a defense, very historic. 109 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 1: We got a lot of great players. I wrote through 110 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 1: this place and and played great defense, so they're looking 111 00:04:46,600 --> 00:04:50,280 Speaker 1: to rebuild that and go win the Super Bowl. Joe Green, 112 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,599 Speaker 1: a pillar of this organization, announced your pick. Did you 113 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:55,599 Speaker 1: get a chance to meet him at all? Yeah? I 114 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: shook his hand. Was very brief, but just to be 115 00:04:58,000 --> 00:04:59,600 Speaker 1: able to just look him in his eyes, to shake 116 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: his hand, for him to say my name and hopefully 117 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: remembers it. No, it was just a surreal moment for me. 118 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:07,600 Speaker 1: You were a captain at Michigan. That has to take 119 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: a certain characteristic to be voted on that by your teammates. 120 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:12,599 Speaker 1: When did you realize you had that role in you 121 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,359 Speaker 1: to be this unquestioned leader. Yeah, I don't know. It 122 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 1: kind of just hit me that day. I kind of 123 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: always been a leader, but that being established, you know, 124 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:24,480 Speaker 1: from the team, from my teammates, you know, it was 125 00:05:24,560 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: it was definitely a big honor, and I feel like 126 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 1: I always just been me, you know, I never was 127 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:33,159 Speaker 1: somebody I never wasn't and a lot of people respected that. Lastly, 128 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,520 Speaker 1: there's a lot of Ohio State guys in this locker room. 129 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:37,640 Speaker 1: Have any of them reached out to you yet? Nah, 130 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:39,839 Speaker 1: not yet, not yet, But I know my day is 131 00:05:39,839 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 1: coming them