NFL Draft Prospect Interview – Will Sutton, DT Arizona State

Nov 30, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils defensive tackle Will Sutton (90) and offensive linesman Evan Finkenberg (62) celebrate after winning the Territorial Cup by beating the Arizona Wildcats 58-21 at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

PS: What’s the game that means the most to you in your career?

WS: Oh, man.  Beating UCLA for the PAC-12 South was big, you know, getting to play in the PAC-12 Championship Game, but every time we win in that Tutorial Cup Game; being able to win it two years in a row is big.

PS: You got to play in three bowl games, but the one you won against Navy had to mean a great deal to you.

WS: It was great, just because we went on a four game losing streak and you know, we came back and beat (Arizona) U of A in Tuscon and then we kept it going against Navy.  It was big.  We ended the season on a two game win streak and we continued the win streak until we played Stanford.

PS: Arizona is technically your biggest rival, but who is really your biggest rival right now?

WS: It would have to be UCLA, because for the past three years, it’s been a close, deciding game.  UCLA has been a real, real battle.

PS: And you guys play a similar style of football.  Tough, dynamic defense with a lot of good athletes even though there have been a good number of points scored.

WS: Those are hard points that are scored.

PS: Is there a loss that just eats at you?

WS: The Stanford loss in the championship game.  Oregon my redshirt sophomore year when we went out there.  We were ranked 19 and they were like 8 and we had the lead until the fourth quarter and couldn’t finish.

PS: You had the season you had.  You get invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl.  What was your mindset down there with everything that had happened this year?

WS: Just to work, you know, show them that I’m not the type of person that everybody’s saying, not a lazy person.  I’m gonna go out there and practice hard and give it my all.

PS: Do you feel like you were successful in reminding people how good you were and how good you can be for a team going forward?

WS: Oh yea.

PS: Were they asking about the weight?

WS: That’s the main question I’ve been asked all the way until today.  That’s something that’s always brought up as the main concern people have about me and I tell them I just received information that I’ve been hearing my whole life and decided to gain the weight and how it was bad information, so I guess I gotta go and out and show them I wasn’t lazy.

I’ve proven every time I weighed in, I weighed less.  I told them I’d weigh less at the Senior Bowl.  I weighed less Senior Bowl.  Came to the combine and at Pro Day, I weighed less and weighed in again and weighed less.  I’ll weigh in again this week and weigh less.

PS: How do you feel like you did at the combine, given that you were able to go in with a better weight for you?

WS: It felt good.  I didn’t really get too big on the numbers.  I knew the numbers were gonna be hard because I was testing at a weight I’m not used to testing at and so my main thing was just when it came to the drills to just get out there and compete.  A lot of teams ask you at the combine if you’re gonna do everything and they expect you to do everything when you go there unless you have an injury.  That’s what I did.  I came down there and did everything and competed.

PS: Is the testing part of it sort of a nervous thing because it’s not really what you do and then when you get to the drills, you feel at home, being back where you’re comfortable and playing football?

WS: Oh yea.  The testing is the nerve racking part, but once you get to the position drills, it’s all fun.  Everybody’s cheering each other on and everybody’s trying to go full speed, doing the drills to the best of their ability.