New Orleans Saints Defensive End Trey Hendrickson
Conference Call with New Orleans Media
Friday, April 28, 2017

Were you surprised that the Saints were one of the teams interested in you?
"Yes sir. I got a workout from them and I felt that I showed what I can do and I left the Trey Hendrickson mark on the Saints organization."

What exactly is the Trey Hendrickson mark?
"A guy who is going to do whatever it takes to win."

How did you end up at Florida Atlantic?
"Coming out of high school, I could've played tight end or defensive end. When it came down to offers, I chose defensive end. There is nothing I love more than to sack the quarterback. I chose out of those offers. That was the first time I left the nest so being an Owl was a really exciting thing for me."

What were some of the other schools that offered you at defensive end?
"Western Kentucky, it was a lot of the Conference-USA style teams like USF (South Florida) and things like that."

What were the teams that offered you at tight end?
"Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas. I played my senior year at tight end so it was like the last imprint. They thought I was going to go out as a tight end."

Did you see that as a gamble? (Taking an offer from a smaller school at defensive end)
"When I committed to FAU, I set goals accordingly and at the time, building a foundation and really turning into my career. I look back and I don't have any regrets."

Is it more rewarding to you that you made that decision to go to FAU and now you are drafted and playing in the NFL?
"No. I would have been an FAU fan for the rest of my life. The day I committed, I was excited to be there and I was excited to be an Owl. I love the organization and where its proximity to the beach and it was a great college atmosphere for me and I learned a lot of football from the coaches. I never regret that at all."

How did you develop your knack for blocking kicks?
"Coach in our meetings was like 'blocking kicks and an extra point when we get scored on, nothing shows how much you care about the game of football as going as hard as you can after they score'. It shows a lot about your character and how much you want to win and if I could get one or two and take the wind out of their sails, I was going to do that for my team."

How many games did you have in your career against SEC or other larger programs?
"I think, we had about two every year, so around eight or 10."

How do you think that game against the University of Florida helped NFL teams when they were looking at you?
"It's up to them. I mean, I played the same when I played Florida as I did when I played UNC-Charlotte. The guys put their pants on exactly the same, doesn't matter how many stars they had. There's a lot of guys waiting to be called that were, had more stars out of high school than I did, so where we commit to college doesn't make or break how good of a football player we are."

Did you have an expectation for which round you would go in?
"Oh, no. Any round, I was proud of. I just like to see all the defensive ends, who and where (they go), that was interesting to me, but besides that, no I had no expectations on all the hype. I just want play football again."

29.5 career sacks in your college career, how comfortable are you that you can come in here and make an immediate impact?
"Well, you know, I feel like I can make an impact if they want me to play all three (technique) or run down on kickoff, I'm going to make sure I do that to the best of my ability."

You have an opportunity to compete for playing time opposite Cameron Jordan. How familiar are you with the defensive line?
"I'm pretty familiar. It's an honor and privilege to play alongside guys who have already done it. Coming out there as a rookie, you're always playing for your career, so every down, every rep I take is a resume, and I'm ready to do that."