Andre Caldwell Interview
by Dave Gardner
Florida Wide Receiver, and likely second-round pick, talks with Dave Gardner about winning a national championship, the support he gets from his brother and trying to be the greatest ever.
Dave Gardner: Talk about your college career, what was the highlight of it?
Andre Caldwell: I had a great college career, I had a lot of fun. I think the biggest highlight was going to the national championship, catching a touchdown pass and winning the game. Also, playing at the Swamp in front of the best fans in the world.
DG: You know what it’s like to win a championship, but also what it’s like to be on a team that struggles. How will that experience help you to be a leader on the team that drafts you?
AC: I think it’s going to help me a lot. I’ve been through the ups and downs of college football. I know what it feels like to be on top and on the bottom. I know what it takes to come from the bottom to work your way from the top. I know what championship mentality and championship work ethic is like. I can take what I learned from college and try to share it with the other guys in my draft class.
DG: Also, what was it like to play for Urban Meyer? And how did he help you develop in between your junior and senior years that helped you to increase your yards, yards per catch and touchdown receptions despite missing several games?
AC: Urban taught me a lot about how to read defenses, how to get open by running more precise routes, and how to be a smarter football player, as well as how to be a student of the game. He taught me how to work hard on every play to help the team go out there and win.
DG: How do you think Tim Tebow will project as an NFL quarterback? And what was it like playing with him full-time in your senior year?
AC: He was a great player – a big-time playmaker. Everything that he does, he does for the team. He puts everything on the line for his team. He’ll be able to play in the NFL and do big things in the NFL. Although a lot of people think that he won’t be able to do it, knowing him, everything will work out because he’ll work harder than everybody. He’ll get better and better every year.
DG: Let’s switch now to draft talk. How much has having an older brother who has played in the NFL helped you through this process?
AC: He helped me a lot. He gave me a lot of insight on what to look for in the draft and how to approach it. He told me, ‘Just be yourself and do what got you to this point. You don’t have to change anything about yourself.
DG: What do you think accounts for the struggles that Gators wide receivers have had in the NFL? Players like Taylor Jacobs, Chad Jackson and Jabar Gaffney have struggled to justify their high draft status (each were second-round picks).
AC: I don’t know what happened with them, but I played with a different coaching staff. I have a different mentality – failing is not an option for me. I don’t know what their situation was, but mine is different, and I’ll prove it in the NFL.
DG: Other than the coaching staff, what makes you unique from them? How will you succeed when they failed?
AC: I have a will to win. I want to be the best ever to play the game. So I’ll do whatever it takes to succeed.
DG: What is the strongest area in your game, and what is the weakest?
AC: The strength of my game is my speed. You can’t coach speed and you can’t teach it. I stretch the field, and put a lot of pressures on defensive backs. I’m a big vertical threat. I’ve been working on my hands and being able to catch NFL passes.
DG: How do you think that you compare to the crop of wide receivers in this draft class?
AC: I think I’m right up there with them. Those guys did some great things in college and had some great careers, but I think I’m an elite receiver, and I think I proved that by what I did this season and at the Combine.
DG: Do you think that your proneness to injuries is a concern for teams?
AC: I think that it was a concern that I have had some injuries. But I’ve been running hard and working out a lot more. I am 100 percent right now, so that’s not a question anymore.
DG: Talk a little bit about your visits. What teams are you most interested in playing for, and what teams do you think have shown the most interest in you?
AC: I’ve been to Tampa Bay, St. Louis and Minnesota. I’ve talked to their coaches, and they’ve all shown a lot of interest in me. I won’t play favorites with any of them; I don’t have a preferred team. I just want to play football; it doesn’t matter where it is.
DG: Growing up in Tampa, you wouldn’t hope to play for the Bucs any more than those other teams?
AC: It doesn’t matter if it’s Tampa Bay, Seattle or San Diego … football is football anywhere.
DG: What round do you think you’re most likely to be drafted in?
AC: I hear second a lot. I think that’s the most accurate prediction right now, but I don’t plan on going any later than that.