Christian Wilkins – May 4, 2022
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Wednesday, May 4, 2022
DT Christian Wilkins
(I was wondering if you could speak to the three years of developing that you’ve had here and the process of that development. Like from your own personal standpoint, working with coaches and trainer, etc. How have those years of work allowed you to become the player you are and one of the more consistent and productive defensive tackles in the game?) – “The biggest thing was just kind of early on, a lot was overwhelming. You come in with a lot of high expectations – first-round pick, new coach, new everything, everything is new, a lot of pressure – so you’re just trying to get your feet under you. You’re like ‘damn’ and you’re trying to figure out life. You’re trying to figure out everything else, not just ball. You’ve got a lot of different responsibilities and things like that, so there’s a lot of things that come with that. You’re trying to figure out the scheme and things like that, but pretty much for me, I just stuck with the process. I just kept working all the way through and I’m continuing to work, continuing to try and get better each and every day, and I just felt like year after year, I’ve gotten better at a lot of things I wanted to get better at coming into each season. So hopefully I just stick with that process and keep getting better and better each year.”
(So you were drafted in 2019 and the next two years, the Dolphins have a whole bunch of draft picks and tons of young players, younger than you. Do you communicate stuff like that with your younger teammates, kind of about trusting the process and how it worked for you and how it can work for them?) – “Absolutely. I feel like just from my experience, I’m able to be there for those guys, especially like you said, all the draft picks, all the guys who were drafted early who might feel like there was some pressure. There’s this, that and trying to figure things out. I always try to be a guy that they can lean on, come and talk to just about anything – about life, about ball, whatever it has to do, just adjusting to life in the NFL. I always try to be that for them. I can’t tell them everything before it happens, but just kind of be a mentor and a big brother as things do come up for them, help them through whatever it is they may be going through both good and bad.”
(Congrats on the team picking up your fifth year. I wanted to get your take on that move by the club.) – “Appreciate it. I think it’s great. It’s awesome. I’m glad I’m going to be able to be here for another year and I’m just blessed overall. Kind of what we talked about earlier with (the other) question, I’m just progressing each year and the team had to make a decision and they picked up my option. That’s great. I’m excited I’m going to be here for at least another year.”
(Do you think there is a chance that you might be able to do a long-term deal with the club?) – “The biggest thing is I’m just trying to focus on ball. Let whoever else, the powers that be handle all that stuff and talk about all that stuff. I just like to focus on ball, being a good teammate and just getting better every day and stay with the process and the rest will take care of itself.”
(This is a question for Christian Wilkins the NFLPA rep. From a business standpoint, with the new CBA deal, do you find it interesting that once you guys guaranteed that fifth-year option – fully, not guarantee it but then we can opt out of it before the new league year starts – is it interesting that so many teams aren’t picking up the fifth-year option?) – “That’s a good question. I just think it’s case-by-case. The biggest thing to understand is that the league is a business and it’s really a case-by-case situation, so it is definitely interesting. Every team has decisions they have to make and they have that control, they have that power.”
(What’s it like to be one of the only defensive linemen in the first round that gets the fifth year picked up? Is it like a feather in your cap, like “hey, I’m one of the best producers?”) – “No, you don’t think about it like that because again, it’s case-by-case. You don’t know what other teams have going on and like I said, I just try to focus on ball and just letting everything happen as it comes. I don’t try to think about it like that because as soon as you start thinking like that – you’ve got to keep a humble spirit and humble mindset – because as soon as you start thinking like that, a lot of other B.S. can get in the way and you’re not focused on the things you need to focus on.”
(I wanted to ask you about the F1 tour you guys did this week and everything going on at the stadium. I was wondering if you could put into words what it’s like to be on the track and kind of witness everything going on.) – “Yeah, that looks all right over there. It’s pretty cool. I ain’t going to lie to you. I was actually thinking about doing some other stuff this weekend before I got to go on the tour and see everything. I’m like ‘nah, I’m definitely going to be there for that.’ It’s the first time it’s here. This is like – I know there will be other years it’ll be going on, but this is like a once-in-a-lifetime, first-in-a-lifetime experience for me. And for someone like me who grew up the way I grew up where I grew up, you don’t get to see things like this or experience things like this, so I’m going to be there in attendance, having a good time enjoying it and have some fun with it all and just happy to be a part of it, happy it’s going to be here.”
(Since you’ve been drafted, the Dolphins have put tennis on the campus, there’s been Rolling Loud, so many different events. What can you say about everything that kind of happens in the stadium and the campus of the team you play for?) – “It’s awesome that as an organization we do those things and that obviously a lot of things go on here in Miami. We’ve got a great stadium, a great location, just a lot of good things – it makes sense why a lot of things want to be here and a lot of things are going on here and I like to try to go to as many things as possible, again, just because I think it’s always pretty cool. The Miami Open was great. I went to that. Just always cool to experience things, meet new people and it’s just cool to be a part of.”
(I was asking S Jevon Holland about who has a fast car. He said CB Byron Jones has got a nice…) – “Yeah… (laughter)”
(What about the front seven guys? If you had to pick someone’s car to put it on the track, the track right out there, who’s car are you putting out there?) – “From the front seven? Nah, I would definitely say Byron (Jones) is up there. Jaelan (Phillips) has got a nice little something-something. I mean, I don’t know. I ain’t going to put out guys’ business like that, but Jaelan do got a nice little something-something. (laughter) Maybe his car.”
(Do you like cars? Are you more of a sports car guy or truck guy?) – “I’m not a big car person like that. But after going to school in the south and living in the south, you’ve got to have you a truck. You know what I’m saying? (laughter) Ride down with the windows down, arm out, you know what I’m saying? (laughter) You know, just enjoy the ride and feeling big in the big body truck.”
(I wanted to ask you about S Jevon Holland. Just as a fellow, somebody who can kind of relate to being a high pick and kind of being thrust into a prominent role early on, what impressed you about Jevon’s rookie season and how have you kind of seen him approach this Year 2?) – “Jevon has a chance to be pretty good in this league. Just how he comes into work each and every day. That was the biggest thing that I learned. He even took a year off of ball before he got drafted and everything and still came in kind of ready to play and was able to do some really good things for us early on and it’s just impressive to watch. He’s athletic, he’s big, and something that surprised me more than anything is just how cerebral he is back there. Like making the calls, doing some of the things you have to do at the safety position in our defense was really impressive. He’s kind of a kid who just loves playing ball, too, so it’s fun to watch. He brings that nice young spirit, too. He’s a good teammate.”
(I just wanted to ask you what your reaction was when you found out that Defensive Coordinator Josh Boyer and Defensive Line Coach Austin Clark were being retained by the new coach and are you sort of eager to see what wrinkles Josh will have just to keep teams off balance this year with largely the same personnel as he had a year ago?) – “Yeah, it’s always nice when you have some – like especially with the whole change, you know what I mean – it’s nice to have some familiarity. It’s nice to have d-coordinator, d-line coach, linebackers coach (return). It’s good to have a lot of the same things coming back – players and everything. There hasn’t been much turnover or anything like that from that standpoint, so I’m just excited that you look around the defense, you look around the locker room and you’ve got a lot of familiar faces and guys who have been in this system. So I’m just looking forward to it and just looking forward to continue to build and achieve connection with each other and do some good things.”
(When you came into the NFL, your reputation as being frugal preceded you. I’m curious whether that stayed the same way or have you allowed yourself to buy yourself some stuff here and there?) – “Hey, nah, (laughter) good question. I mean still – I was going to joke around and say I’m spending money like crazy, but no, I still have the same frugal mindset. That’s in me. You can’t help it sometimes. You do have to spend a little bit more money and it hurts me and it pains me any time I’ve got to spend a little bit of money, but I’m still as frugal as can be. I try to spend as little as possible, but also, here and there, treat myself to little things like that. But I still don’t like spending a lot of money.”
(Quick follow up, if I may. What’s the most flashy you’ve allowed yourself to pick up?) – “More just experiences. Like I’m an experience guy. I love to travel, so in the offseason, if I can enjoy some time, go somewhere, do some things like that, that’s something I love to do. So I love to see the world, I love to get out, love to just experience different things like that. So I like to travel.”
(See now you’ve got me interested. What’s the experience Christian Wilkins had the best time at and what’s the goal from the experience standpoint for this offseason before camp starts?) – “Good question, and you mean from like, just in my life in general?”
(Yeah.) – “Oh man, I don’t know. I’ve been able to do – I’m really blessed and I’m fortunate to be in the position I am in and do a lot of things I do. Like I really can’t pinpoint one specific experience. I don’t know – just from obviously accomplishments in football, winning championships at the college level, being drafted, being part of this brotherhood in the NFL, going to the White House, things like that. Even social circles you’re put in or people you get to meet socially that you’re like, ‘dang, I’m just this little kid from Springfield and I met such-and-such’ or I’m doing this or doing that. It’s all just humbling truly – traveling the world, seeing cool things, things I thought I’d never be able to do…”
(What’s the coolest thing you’ve seen?) – “Shoot, I don’t know. Just even like – let’s just say like even going to London. Stuff that like that. Playing in a foreign place and joking about a guy running onto the field before the game. Like all that stuff was fun. Playing in a different stadium, just taking a second, breathing it all in like, ‘This game is taking me all over the world. I’m here in London playing a game.’ And then I was able to go back this offseason and watch a soccer game in that same stadium and really enjoy that. That’s all just so cool to me and so humbling and it’s awesome to be able to do.”
(So what’s the pre-camp travel plans?) – “I don’t really have anything planned. I might just more so just kick it. Just get my mind right and regroup before I start the heavy training before training camp.”
