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Drake Thomas: "This Organization Means A Lot To Me" · Seahawks Press Pass

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: House camp.
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: Camp's great. This is honestly like the best time of
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: the year. You're just you know, all the way, it's
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: all football, all the time, you're with the guys, you're competing,
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: you're getting better.
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: In the football world. I feel like there's no better time.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Got the day on Saturday, that's gotta be set to
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: look forward to for the players.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: Really, it's an amazing opportunity to go out and showcase
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: with every We've all been working towards, uh for the
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: first time, so you put that on display for everyone
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: to see and just, uh, it's a huge opportunity fighting
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: for a job and end up getting.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: You a job here instead of with the Raiders. But like,
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: how valuable is that explosure of the preseason for guys
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: in that position.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: It's huge. You just kind of said it like that.
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: That's the only reason I'm standing right here in front
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: of you, guys, the only reason I've I've gotten the
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: opportunities that I've gotten because those preseason games. So when
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: I say it's a huge opportunity, like that's not something
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: small that I'm kind of just ushing over. Like it's
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: it's these next three weeks, these next three games can
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: be life changing for kids, for for young guys in
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: this league.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: Maybe a little more established in the lineup.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: And things like that, or uh yeah, I'd say more
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: confidence just based off experience. But like as far as
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: like approach and mentality, I feel like I'm still taking
• 1:21
  Speaker 2: the same thing, the same consistent approach and mentality and
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: mindset that I've taken honestly for my whole career.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: So you're one of the few guys out of this
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: team that's like developed as we started turning as a
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: practice squad. Guy feel how to established organizations players.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: I think they're they they played a guy's strengths really well.
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: They see what guys are good at and they use
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: those traits.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: Uh.
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: We had a presentation in the team meeting the other
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: day and they were talking about like what you gotta
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: do to stand out in this building. It's like it's
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: really just be really good at who you are and
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: like own that role.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: And do to the best of your ability. And I
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: think that's so true.
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: Everybody has their own unique ways that that makes them them,
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: and I think our staff really utilizes each guy incorrect ways.
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: Drake, he had a pretty big year last year.
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: Why I changed the number my dad wore thirty two
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  Speaker 2: since I was little, I always wore thirty two. I
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: wore it like Pop Warner, middle school, high school, college.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: I just I feel like more like myself when I'm
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: wearing thirty two. What if not?
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: I mean, like you said, you've always been confident? What
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: is it you're like that do for you?
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: Where everyone believe they can be that kind of player,
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: but to get.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: To show it become a starter, Like what does that
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: do for your name?
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: I think it just makes you super grateful because you
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: see a lot of guys not get that opportunity, like
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: it's it's rare. You know, there's a lot of guys
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: that come and go through this league who never get
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: that shot, that are put in tough situations that you
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: know they went undrafted but they're super talented, but they
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: never necessarily get the opportunity to showcase or get comfortable
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: in a system or whatever it may be. Uh So,
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  Speaker 2: it just makes me really really grateful to realize that's
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: what I where I came from. And I'm just super blessed,
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: and I make sure that I live in a way
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  Speaker 2: that I make sure I acknowledge that something to the
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: contract that you got.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: I mean this organization means a lot to me just
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: from them claiming me they believed in me, and then
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: through my injury they stood by that and they they
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: gave me time to get healthy. They gave me grace
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: during the process of me getting comfortable, like getting back
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: to myself as a player. So to to be able
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: to stay here and have that in writing for another
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  Speaker 2: two years, it means the world to me.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: You talked about kind of you know, young players being
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: themselves in this building.
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: Was there a moment when you got here throughout the
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: last couple of years and where you kind of really
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: as has that kind of come out just being yourself.
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Because it just overtime banked reps.
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: I think being yourself like as far as like personality wise,
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: like in the locker room, I think the people that
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: we have in there make it easy. Everyone's super welcoming everyone.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: You know, you when your best players are your best people,
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  Speaker 2: I mean that that that's what creates a great culture
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  Speaker 2: like that and allows people to come in and be
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: themselves and feel comfortable. There's great relationships in there, you know,
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: the great friendships. So as far as being able to
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: come in and be yourself I think it's really easy
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: with the group that we have in the locker.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: Room with where thirty two, how would pulls your dad
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  Speaker 1: on you in terms of football related to me? You
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: having anything that we're going.
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, when I was little, I feel like, uh, I
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: mean he played college football at Marshall and when ever,
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: since I was little and I loved the game.
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  Speaker 1: I love the sport and all I wanted to do
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: was be like him. He was huge.
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: You know that that that prototype like male father figure
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  Speaker 2: that you would want in your life. Every everything that
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: that he did for me, like just sacrificing time, whatever
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: it is, money, whatever it is. They're taking us the
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: trips for different sports and making sure that we never
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: missed an opportunity to get the most out of something,
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  Speaker 2: like you know, everything that he displayed to me and
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: showed to me, Like, I just hope to one day
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  Speaker 2: do that too for for my future kids.
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: And he wore thirty two for a reason or was
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: it just that over he gone? Uh?
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: My family was Steelers fan, so it was kind of
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: Franco Harris a little bit just work again almost like
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: cliche for linebackers talking about the defensive front, but for
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: you and Eg to play behind the guys you do, Like,
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: what does that do for your job?
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  Speaker 1: What you've got say, it makes it a lot easier.
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: Uh me EJ.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: Have talked a little bit this training camp, and like
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: when those guys are rolling, it makes practice a little
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: bit boring. It's like a weird feeling because like kind
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: of just sitting behind the line of scrimmage and waiting
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: for something to pop out and nothing does because everything,
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: like the double teams are being taken like they're coming,
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: they're getting through, they're making plays, and it just makes
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: it a little bit boring. So, uh, you know, I
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: don't take that for granted. You know, thank them when
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: I can whatever it is. But uh, those those are
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: really good players that we're both playing behind.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: Thanks. I appreciate you, guys.