NFL Draft 2015: How Did Jordan Richards React To Getting Drafted By The Patriots?

October 10, 2014; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal safety Jordan Richards (8) defends during the second half against the Washington State Cougars at Stanford Stadium. Stanford defeated Washington State 34-17. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Q: I think Nick Caserio was out at the Stanford Pro Day. What recollections do you have of any time you spent with him that day?

JR: Yeah, he was out here at the Stanford Pro Day and I got to sit down and talk with him for a little bit. At the time, you really don’t know, so you’ve got to be on your Ps and Qs and that’s something I don’t feel like I have to get up for, but that’s something that’s kind of who I am in terms of the way I approach the game and the Xs and Os and making sure you take that seriously and you know what you’re doing. So I got to get on the board a little bit with him and talked some football and I definitely enjoyed that experience.

Q: How much did you play on special teams?

JR: On teams? I got to play a fair amount of teams kind of throughout my career. The amount of snaps I got varied year to year, but it’s something that I take really seriously and if you want play football, especially at this level, you better contribute somehow on special teams. So I’m juiced; I’m ready for it.

Q: With your father being from Natick, have you been to this area? Does he still have family here? Have you visited out here before?

JR: I do still have family out there and no, he’s never taken me out there so finally I’ll get to go.

Q: Hopefully you like snow.

JR: I think I can get used to it. It’s 94 degrees here in California right now. I’m sweating my tail off.

Q: One thing we see in the testing results is you had a very good three-cone drill time with 6.74. What does that reflect in terms with the way you play?

JR: It’s change of direction. In playing defensive back there are a lot of different things and it’s hard to –sometimes people argue about translating drills to the game, and it’s whatever, it’s all part of the process. Being successful, I think, as a safety is just a product of knowing the defense and knowing your assignment and your alignment and your kind of eye progression and stuff like that. So that’s the stuff that I really care about and that starts with coaching. I’m going to do my best to take the best notes I can so I know what the heck I’m doing and the adjustments that need to be made. That way I can contribute defensively [and] special teams-wise. Either way, you’ve just got to be a student of the game and take coaching and be a sponge out there.

Q: Where were you when you got the phone call – any type of draft party or anything?

JR: No. I’m actually in the car right now with my mom and dad. We’re actually headed up to go see my sister. She couldn’t come home for the weekend so we’re headed up her way.

Q: Were you following the draft on your phone?

JR: Yeah, following the draft on the radio.

Q: One of the accounts about you said that you are a Bill Belichick type of guy. What do you know about Coach Belichick and how has David Shaw and his staff prepared you for the NFL opportunity you have?

JR: Yeah, I mean speaking first about Stanford coaches – just an incredible set of coaches over the course of my four years that really emphasized the fundamentals of the game; playing as a team and when you’re out there on the field you do your one-eleventh. You don’t try and do anything above and beyond what you are asked, but you do your job and you do it your best of your ability. That’s what I see. I mean obviously it’s from me, kind of as a fan’s perspective, but that seems to be kind of Coach Belichick’s motto and you just do your job and if all 53 guys, or however many people are on that field are doing their job, and putting everything they’ve got into it, the chance of success is a lot higher than when guys are trying to do their own thing.

Q: The arm length looks like a positive from you from a scouting perspective. How does your arm length help you on the field?

JR: I don’t know, arm length – I don’t know. It’s nothing I decided, ‘I’m going to have 32 and whatever inch arms.’ It’s all about positioning and getting your body in the right position to make plays on the field and to do your assignment. You use what God has given you to the best of your ability and you use your brain and you just hope to go out there and contribute.

Q: Have you played at all on the line of scrimmage – like a press style?

JR: It kind of depends. You see a lot of different offenses in the Pac-12. You see a lot of spread, you see a lot of pro-style, and it varies depending on the game plan. That’s what it’s all about – making adjustments and you go week by week to another new opponent. It’s just all part of the game.

Q: Did you have plans to have a draft party tomorrow or watch tomorrow?

JR: I was definitely going to see if we could catch a little bit of the draft on television today and definitely watch tomorrow and then we watched a little bit yesterday, but there’s no draft party right now planned.

Q: Where’s your sister? Where were you headed with your parents?

JR: We are headed up to Reno, that’s where my sister goes to school, up in Reno. I get to go see her and enjoy the moment with her, [share] it with her.