Sam Darnold On WFAN: Excitement Building As Draft Approaches

As the days loom closer to Thursday’s start to NFL draft, highly touted quarterback Sam Darnold joined WFAN's "The Afternoon Drive With Carlin, Maggie and Bart" to discuss his predraft experiences.

Darnold entered the studio with his mother, Chris. While it was Chris’ first visit to New York, there’s a possibility that Sam could be calling NYC his new home.

“It will be awesome,” Sam Darnold said. “Wherever I end up in, whatever spot I end up in will be the spot for me. I’m really excited for whatever opportunity comes my way. Things have been moving fast. But now that it’s kind of a few days away, I’m really starting to think about it, envisioning myself going up there and shaking hands with the commissioner, all that good stuff. I’m excited.”

“It was great,” Darnold said of his visit with the Giants. “I had dinner with them, had dinner with the Jets, too. I spent the day at the Giants’ facility, spent the day at the Jets’ facility as well. That’s a great facility over there. The Giants have a great facility, too. It was awesome to be able to spend time with the coaches. The crazy part to me was talking with the owners and what their mindset is towards the team and what culture they want to set with the team. Because a lot of these teams, especially towards the top of the draft, are in that kind of transitioning phase where they want to build a team and maybe a new culture.”

In an 11-3 sophomore season in 2017, the 6-foot-3 Darnold threw for 4,143 yards and tossed 26 touchdowns. As a freshman, he led USC to a 52-49 victory over Penn State in the Rose Bowl, passing for 453 yards and five touchdowns in what one of the greatest Rose Bowls ever played.

Moose & Maggie

Most expert mock drafts have Darnold being drafted anywhere between first overall to third.

Should the Browns select Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen with the top pick, there’s a solid chance Darnold would land in the Big Apple. The Giants own the No. 2 pick, and the Jets follow them in the third spot.

“I think my work ethic kind of speaks for itself,” Darnold said. “I think at USC, when you have really good players doing the right thing on and off the field, that kind of changes the culture. Everyone wants to be really good at football. Everyone who plays football in college or the NFL wants to be good.

Moose & Maggie

“I’m just going to continue trying to do the same thing, whether people want to follow me or not – and I think I’m a really good leader that way. But also if I need to say something, especially to the offense, I’m willing to say it. So, I don’t have a problem leading. I’m going to do it in my way, and I think that’s the best way to do it.”

To listen to the interview, click on the audio player above.