Packers Supplemental Draft: Interview with Rashaun Simonise

Making the jump from college football to the professional ranks is fraught with obstacles and hardly anyone ever makes it through his first year without hitting the proverbial rookie wall at some point.

Well, just imagine being drafted a little over a week from the start of rookie training camp and less than two months away from the Thursday night kickoff of the NFL’s regular season.

That’s exactly what any prospect being selected in the NFL’s Supplemental Draft will be up against. Rashaun Simonise, however, will be facing a rather unique challenge in the fact that he isn’t a product of any of the Power 5 conferences or even smaller schools in the nation for that matter.

The six-foot-five receiver played his football in Canada or at the University of Calgary to be exact, where some of the rules and level of play differ from what we’re accustomed to in the States.

But Simonise isn’t your run-of-the-mill rookie-in-waiting; his length, wingspan and natural speed make him the type of raw talent that just about any pro team would want to invest in for the long term.

Academic issues have prevented the big Canadian from maintaining his college eligibility and forced him to pursue his NFL dreams sooner than he anticipated.

During my conversation with the underclassman, Simonise came off as a well-spoken and enthusiastic young man who knows what lies ahead of him. By the same token, his tone was indicative of the fact that he knows that there’s a spot for him in the NFL.

His size and movement skills are his ticket of admission at an upcoming training camp. Hard work, attention to detail and the versatility to do whatever will be asked of him will offer him the staying power he so badly craves.

The Packers were among the teams present at Simonise’s pro day this past Monday. And while the Boys from Packers News are well stocked at wide receiver, there’s always room for a developmental type with Simonise’s considerable physical tools.

To date, the Packers have only once selected a player in the Supplemental Draft when they won the rights to offensive tackle Mike Wahle, who logged some productive seasons in during his eight-year tenure in the Dairy State.

Here are some of Simonise’s thoughts and reflections only one day prior to his NFL dreams quite possible becoming a reality.

Q: Describe what it was like playing college football in Canada. It’s certainly not a brand of football most of us in the States are accustomed to. Can you expound upon the level of competition you faced?

A: It was an amazing experience. Playing football all across [Canada] was amazing. What people don’t know about Canadian football is that there are a lot of athletes out there that could play football. I feel that in Canada a lot of athletes tend to get overlooked. There are a lot of hard-working players out there—guys that can really play the game.

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Personally, for myself, it was great. The coaching staff was amazing. The players were great; I loved being with them. I wish I would have been able to finish my education. It’s something I want to go back and finish, but unfortunately I’ll have to hold it off for a bit. Right now, I’m just working hard and trying to achieve my dream of playing in the NFL.

Q: Where are you from originally?

A: I’m originally from Vancouver, Canada. I was born and raised there. Calgary is only once province away.

Q: Did you have any interest in playing college football in the States? Did you receive any scholarship offers?

A: No sir, I did not. I attended a couple of summer camps at the University of Washington and Eastern Washington and I was the MVP at that (Eastern Washington) camp, but unfortunately, nobody made me an offer.

Q: At 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, you certainly look the part. Would you say that football was always in your plans growing up and how did you first get introduced to the game of football?

A: Football is in my blood. I feel as if I was put on this earth to play football. My father was actually a football player. He had the opportunity to work out for the New York Giants way back before I was born. I’ve been taught football all my life and I’ve definitely have wanted to make it to the NFL for my whole life.

Pretty much my whole life has been about training for opportunity to get there. My whole life has been a big checklist. I’ve been checking off things and just going for it and achieving my goals.

Q: Talk about your pro day. Five teams (the Rams, Cardinals, Packers, Colts, Jets and Redskins) were in attendance according to reports. You ran a 4.48 with a 35-inch vertical and a 10-foot broad jump. Were you satisfied with those numbers and your overall performance?

A: I was actually told that I clocked in at a 4.41 and a 4.44. On the field, it was kind of nerve-wreaking being the only guy there and having all those eyes on you. I felt that after the first couple of drills, I really started to get comfortable with it and got used to it.

I then really started to have fun and started being myself out there especially when we got to the last part where they had me running the route tree and catching the ball. I really showed them some good things. I’m just praying and hoping that on Thursday I’m getting a call from somebody and somebody will draft me. It doesn’t matter what team or what round. If not, we’ll just get back to work. As of right now, I’m just praying; it’s not in my hands anymore.

Q: What types of questions were people asking you at your pro day?

A: There weren’t a lot of questions. They just wanted to see how I would react and how I would adapt to different types of drills. I didn’t go through any interviews; that was something I did before over the phone.

Q: On film you seem to be a vertical threat. What are some of your strengths and weaknesses?

A: As for my strengths, I’m a six-five guy. There aren’t a lot of guys out there that have the big-bodied frame to defend me. I feel like I have an NFL body and I have room to grow into it as well. Along with that, I feel that my speed combined with my size is a great thing and that it really separates me from a lot of other receivers. My overall hunger to learn the game is another one of my strengths. I feel that a lot of players think they’re good and just leave it at that, but for me, I’m never content.

As for my weaknesses, I would say that I definitely need to get stronger. I want to get to the point where I’m just throwing people around on the field. Being that I’m six-five, I feel that once I fill into my body and get my strength, I’ll be a force in whatever league I’m trying to play in.

Also, it’s not a weakness of mine, but I just want to develop my mentality of attacking the football when it’s up in the air. Being six-five, if I play with the mentality that it’s going to be my ball or no ball, there’s really nobody that’s going to get it. Against a db that’s five-eight, it doesn’t matter…if I’m attacking the ball like I should, there’s only one person who can get the football. I just want to get to the point where it’s natural.

Q: Do you have one or two favorite go-to routes you like to run?

A: I know people didn’t see this on film that much. What they saw was mostly deep routes. Actually my favorite route is the slant. I like to get the ball in my hands quickly and do something with it.

Q: You’ve had a chance to play in the Indoor League as a member of the Chicago Eagles. How did that differ from college?

A: That was a huge transition for me. It’s professional football. Everybody out there is doing this as a job or even using it as a stepping stone. The talent level is a lot higher and the experience level as well. I feel that spacing was a huge difference for me just because everything was so compact…so tight. It’s really such a quick game and you really have to adapt.

You had to be on everything. You had to think two, three steps ahead before the play even started. It was a great learning experience and I feel that I got exactly what I could have taken out of it. I was treating my time out there as a learning experience and just being a sponge. I was really soaking up the knowledge everyone was giving me.

Q: Where are you strength-wise? How did you feel going up against grown men playing pro football?

A: Strength-wise, I took a couple of losses. Everybody will take their losses. But for the most part, I feel as if I competed very well. I feel that I wasn’t at my strongest or at my heaviest while I was playing there, but I feel that I did compete well. I did do well against some of those guys especially against the press. I feel that was a huge thing for me and one of the most frustrating things for me at the university when I didn’t have as much strength or use as much technique. I also feel I put in a good effort blocking-wise.

Q: Did they actually play press coverage up in Canada?

A: Some schools would. They would probably play press coverage for about one or two plays until they found out I could get behind them. Once I got behind them, they would back off. I didn’t really get the chance to practice the press a lot. For the most part, not a lot of guys tried to press me.

Q: Are you ready to play special teams?

A: Yes sir, I’m ready to play anywhere. I’m ready to play on field goals, punts, kickoffs. It doesn’t matter if I have to block. I’ve covered kicks; I’ll kick the ball no matter what it is. I’m ready to work and utilize my skills wherever a football team needs me to.

Q: Do you watch the Packers at all during the season?

A: Yes, I do.

Q: You have some similar traits to players, such as Jordy Nelson and Brandon Marshall. Do you watch any of those guys or other receivers to pick up on some of things that make them successful?

A: Most definitely. Jordy Nelson is a great receiver. He’s definitely one of the elite receivers in the NFL. I’m always watching his highlights and seeing the types of things he does to get open and different techniques. I definitely keep my eye on him.

Q: Have you spoken to any current NFL players to get an idea of what to expect?

A: One of my former teammates who I actually played with in Canada. His name is Elie Bouka. He’s a rookie cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals. I was able to spend some time with him training in Sacramento, CA these past couple of weeks. He’s really one of the guys I really look up to. He’s one of the guys that really tried to teach me and explain to me how to be ready for that opportunity once it comes. He’s trying to keep me mentally prepared and telling me about things I can expect at the next level.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: The Wedding Ringer with Kevin Hart.

Q: Who is your favorite music artist?

A: I would say one of my favorite music artists is Future.

Q: Do you have an ideal vacation spot?

A: I haven’t been on a lot of vacations. I feel like I would enjoy traveling to Mexico or Puerto Rico.

Next: Green Bay Packers: Top 30 moments in franchise history

Ralph: Best of luck tomorrow.

Rashaun: Thank you so much.

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Green Bay Packers 2016 Supplemental Draft: Interview with WR Rashaun Simonise

By Ralph Mancini | Jul 13, 2016

Making the jump from college football to the professional ranks is fraught with obstacles and hardly anyone ever makes it through his first year without hitting the proverbial rookie wall at some point.

More from Lombardi Ave