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Austin Jackson – April 23, 2020 Download PDF version

Thursday, April 23, 2020

T Austin Jackson

(Your reaction to getting selected here in the first round and what’s the pressure going to be like to have to protect potentially a franchise quarterback?) – “It’s no pressure at all. I’m glad I’m with a great team and a team that believes in me, and I’m just really excited to get out there with the guys and build something special.”

(We’ve heard a little bit of your story about your sister. Can you share with us a little bit about maybe something we don’t know about that experience for you and maybe how that’s changed you and your family?) – “It was a big procedure for my family. Autumn has had her situation – her blood disease – for a long time, and it’s just a real big relief on all of us to know that she’s feeling better. We’re really happy about it.”

(Obviously you’ve known about your sister’s issues for a while. How many years is that and what went into your thought process for knowing that you could possibly help save her life?) – “We’ve known about it, I’d say probably her whole life, so you’re looking at like 18 years there; so pretty much my whole life, too. We’ve always known about the condition, and it feels good to be able to help. That’s all I can say. There’s no better feeling.”

(I want to ask you because you are a relatively young guy – only 20 years old but 6-foot-5 – do you feel you have more room to grow and where in your game would you like to see more improvements?) – “Definitely, I think there’s a lot more room to grow. I feel like since I’ve made the decision to leave and train for the NFL, my strength and athleticism has just gone up 10 times what it was, and I feel like getting around an NFL locker room with NFL guys, I feel like there’s just more knowledge to learn the game. I think the ceiling is incredibly high, and I think I can get as much as I put into it, which will be a lot.”

(With QB Tua Tagovailoa being the quarterback picked by the Dolphins and he’s projected to be the franchise quarterback, that means that his blind side is now the right side. Do you think you could see yourself playing right tackle seeing you spent most of your college career on the left?) – “Definitely. I’ve played both tackle positions my whole life. I’ve played guard. I’ve played everywhere on the line. I don’t have an ego that tells me I’m only a left tackle. I’m a football player at the end of the day. I just play football and help out the team in any way I can.”

(What are you most looking forward to about playing for the Dolphins?) – “What am I looking forward to the most? I’ve got to say walking into the stadium on Sundays. Growing up being a kid – waking up and just watching football that day and then going from waking up on Sunday to getting up and going to work, it’s just crazy how life ends up. I’m really excited for that.”

(What motivates you?) – “I think what motivates me the most is just the opportunity I have with football. I love the game more than anything and I feel like it’s just taken my life to places I’ve never imagined it before. I’m really thankful for the game and the great people I meet along the way – coaches, teammates, fans, all of it.”

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