Skylar Thompson – April 30, 2022
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Saturday, April 30, 2022
QB Skylar Thompson
(I know it’s probably a long wait for you to get this call and I was just curious as the final picks come down, what was that feeling like getting that call from Miami and did you think that this might be a team that would call your name?) – “It was an unbelievable feeling. Truly a dream come true. A moment that I’ve dreamed about and worked for my entire life and for it to happen with a great organization like Miami, I’m so excited. I’m so excited for the opportunity that they’ve given me and honestly I wasn’t expecting – it kind of caught me by surprise that this is where I ended up. I’ve talked to Coach (Darrell) Bevell at the Combine and talked to him at the beginning of the week a little bit this week, but I haven’t talked to him – they definitely weren’t the team that I talked to the most. I’m super excited for this opportunity and I think it’s a great fit, so I’m so excited.”
(My question to you is you had a quarterback coach Justin Hoover. He helped you prepare I think for the last six years. Could you explain what he’s meant to you in your development as a quarterback?) – ”Yeah, Coach Hoover has been a big part of my development. I met him at the Elite 11 out of high school and worked with him throughout college and he’s been a big part of my progression and my development over the years. Him being in Kansas City where I’m from, it’s only two hours away from K-State, so it’s been very easy access to get back and get to work with him. He was a big part of my pre-draft process and he just really developed me a ton. It’s not ever been re-inventing the wheel or doing a whole bunch of new stuff. It’s just really finetuning every little detail of being a quarterback and there’s really trying to make a very complicated position be very simple and he’s a been a big part of my progression as a player, as a person; and he means a lot to me so I appreciate him a lot.”
(So obviously in this draft process, teams reach out to you. Who did you think was feeling you the most?) – “Yeah, I had the most interest I thought from the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions, the Patriots, 49ers. There were quite a few teams that I had talked to quite a bit and met with at the Combine and stuff. So yeah, Miami – I had no idea, honestly. It’s a great surprise. I’m very excited for this opportunity.”
(What do you think about your opportunity to come in here and compete for a roster spot? What’s the biggest challenge that you see for yourself?) – “Yeah, well first and foremost, I’ve got to get my foot in the door and start learning the playbook and just be a great teammate. That’s what I’m here – I’m here to win and whatever that may look like, whatever my role is on the team, I’m going to own my role and I’m going to do whatever it takes to help the Miami Dolphins win. That’s what I’m – I’m so excited. I’m so excited to get into the room, to get down in the building down in Miami and get to work. Ultimately I’m – like I said – I’m coming to win and whatever that may look like, that’s what I’m focused on. I’m focused on winning, being the best teammate and leader I possibly can be and making an impact on my teammates and making those around me better. That’s what I’m mainly focused on.”
(I’m wondering if you could sort of give us a self-scouting report on where your game is right now. What are you hearing from teams on what you do really well and what you need to work on?) – “Yeah, I feel like first and foremost, I’m a gamer. Just being able to make plays off-schedule, on-time, with my legs, with my arm. I feel like that’s a summarization of who I am as a player and I’m a guy that wants the ball in his hands when the team needs a big play, when they rely on me to make a play and whether if it’s on fourth down, going into the end zone, red zone, whatever the case may be, I want the ball in my hands in those situations. And on top of that being a servant leader. I feel like I make those around me better. I’m going to serve my teammates at all times and put my team before myself and ultimately that’s what leads to success because it leads to wins and that’s what drives me and my play every single day that I get the opportunity to play football. And as far as moving forward, as far as areas that I think I could get better at or improve is always – first and foremost is my footwork. I feel like I have good feet, but there’s always room for improvement and just being more consistent with my feet and really tightening up my stride on some throws, really getting my turn – my hips open to my left and throwing outbreaking routes. And then just my posture. Sometimes I stand up tall a little bit on my throws and kind of cause the ball to sail, but those are all things that I’ve been working on this offseason and feel really good about going into rookie minicamp here in a couple weeks.”
(You’re going to turn 25 in June which is a little bit older than your typical rookie. How do you look at that in terms of do you feel like maybe more of a sense of urgency for your career to develop because you’re 25? On the other hand, do you feel it helps you because maybe you’re more mature than prospects who come in at 21 or 22?) – “I definitely don’t feel any pressure as far as me being older that my career has to accelerate quicker or whatever the case may be. I think my age is a benefit to me. I’ve played in a lot of football games. I’ve experienced a lot of different situations in football. You name it, I’ve experienced it. And every type of adversity you can think of that a quarterback could experience, I’ve experienced it. I’ve fought through and I’ve overcome and I’m still standing strong. That’s the biggest asset for me. I think I bring a level of leadership that can’t be replicated at all spots just because I’ve been around so many locker rooms, I’ve had so many different encounters with players from all over the place and developed great relationships. I’ve been a four-year team captain. All of that is just tools in my toolbox. It’s given me experiences to bring a great perspective to a great organization and that’s what I hope to bring to the Miami Dolphins.”
(Do you have any prior connections to anybody on the Dolphins?) – “I do not. I do not.”
(I was curious to know if there are any quarterbacks that you might have admired or studied throughout your childhood or college that you looked up to and modeled your game after?) – “Yeah. I was always Drew Brees. I always loved the way that Drew played, the way that he leads first and foremost. Everybody has seen his pregame ‘hoo-rah’ speeches, and getting his team fired up and playing hard. He just makes plays. When the team needs him to make a play, Drew Brees is there and is very consistent with who he is as a person, as a player. On paper people would say he’s undersized, doesn’t have the strongest arm, whatever. Drew Brees always found a way to win, always found a way to prove the naysayers wrong, and I just always admired him about that. The way that he carried himself, the way that he led, the great teammate he was, and he’s a gamer. You can tell he’s just a football player and found ways to get his team on the winning side of the scoreboard, which I always admired about him and looked up to.”
