Packers 2017 Draft: Interview with Manitoba OG Geoff Gray
Several players with Canadian roots have occupied NFL rosters for years now, but a recent trend has seen these same athletes migrate to the United States straight from universities up in the Great White North rather than first enrolling in American colleges where they’ll have an opportunity to get acquainted with the different style of football practiced in the lower half of the North American continent.
Among the notables of current vintage to make that jump are offensive guards Laurent Duvernay-Tardif of the Kansas City Chiefs and Brett Jones of the New York Giants.
A fellow Canuck that will looking to join them is a hulking 6-foot-5, 315-pound Geoff Gray, who is robust and broad, but built more like a 4-3 defensive end than the typical interior blocker that sports a wider and squattier physique.
Gray, you see, is an avid weightlifter that can squat 317 pounds. He’s gone on to compete in the Canadian National Weightlifting Championships and when he’s not throwing up 45-pound steel plates, he’s diving headfirst into fulfilling his academic requirements, which include taking calculus, physics and chemistry courses as a mechanical engineering major.
And with all that on his regular agenda, it’s a wonder where the Winnipeg native finds any time to strap on the pads and lock horns with opposing defenders as one of his country’s premiere right guards representing the University of Manitoba Bisons.
The scholarly and articulate undergraduate takes on the persona of a coldblooded executioner once the ball is snapped.
Gray looks to impose his will on the man in front of him not by merely by walling him off or turning him aside, but rather by driving his adversary into the dirt and staying on top of him till the sound of the whistle.
His 34-inch arms and quickness off the snap allow No. 67 to immediately get inside the chest of the defensive lineman and keep him in place with a vice-like grip.
Gray is looking to take his ferocious ways into the NFL, where he hopes to dominate the opposition the same way he did at Manitoba, but only this time, he’ll be up against world-class athletes that are explosive and highly advanced in their pass-rushing methods.
His lower level of competition, in fact, was a primary factor that made NFL evaluators dubious about how the young man’s skills would translate to the American pro game.
Likewise, the former Bison will also be burdened with learning a distinct brand of football than the one he practiced in college that saw 12 men line up on each side of the ball on a field that’s 10 yards longer and 10 yards wider than what’s found in the U.S.
Gray was offered the first-hand opportunity to play the American version of the sport by partaking in the East-West Shrine Game. During the event, the raw prospect reportedly showed enough power and athletic ability in his trench battles to elevate his draft stock from undrafted free agent status to late-round pick.
One of the teams showing interest are the Green Bay Packers that have also hosted the Canadian mauler at their facility.
Gray kindly agreed to interview with Lombardi Ave to provide further insight into his game while also responding to a few lighthearted personal questions.
While the aspiring NFL pro is very detailed and analytical in his approach to school, football and weightlifting, Gray is also an all-around no-frills guy that’s not into flashy clothes, fast cars or following what’s popular on the stage and screen, aside from a couple of comedy programs.
And while his regular-man persona may have to go through an inevitable adjustment period in cities like New York, Miami or Los Angeles, Gray seems like a natural fit in Green Bay, where the game is still by and large all about football and not the extracurriculars.
Here is the imposing Canadian finisher in his own words.