LB Mohamoud Diabate (8.24.23)

What’s your mindset heading into the finale on Saturday, your last chance to show anything? 

“Just play hard and do my job. The same thing I do every week focus on my assignments, focus on getting my teammates to call and play my ass off.”

 

Is it tough to not think about what’s going to happen over the next four or five days? 

“No, it’s really not. I try to think about what I could control the controllables, do what I can and let the people who make decisions make their decisions. I don’t sit around worrying about something that I don’t have a decision in. So, I’m focused on going out there on Saturday, having a great game and giving a good impression to the entire league.”

 

When we saw those two really big flash plays you made last week, other than that, how would you assess the way that your camp is going now? 

“I feel like I’ve had a great camp. I’ve been able to showcase my talents, whether it be in practice or as you guys have seen in the game. So I’ve definitely been proud of myself. I feel like I put my best foot forward every single day and give my best effort taking the coaching and made corrections. So I’m excited for the future. I’m thankful for my time so far here.”

 

Did you know coming in that you were going to have as much success as you did? Were you that confident or was it a little bit of an unknown for you? 

“Honestly, I was that confident. I just know my own ability. And after going through minicamp, just getting OTAs and getting a feel for the guys and getting a feel for how the NFL kind of is and going home for that break. I was very confident that I would be ready when I came back from Canton to really compete with the veterans and put myself in a good position.”

 

When you’re in that game against Philly, ]do you feel like, okay, this is what I’ve been working for, I’ve been putting together. Is there a moment like that? 

“Can you rephrase that?”

 

I just mean, like, obviously you’ve been working since mini camps, all that, and to put that on tape in that game against Philly, does it feel different? 

“It feels good to let everybody else know what I have already known for myself. It feels good to be able to put that on tape as solid proof. You know what they say, men lie, women lie, but the film doesn’t lie. So being able to put that on film, that was big. And I’m thankful to God to be able to make me be healthy and be able to do that.”

 

 How disappointed were you to not be drafted? 

“I was extremely disappointed. I didn’t really expect it. It’s not really what I was hearing before the draft. So it was kind of a shocker. Disappointed, but I just use all that as fuel to be the type of player that I know I’m going to be in this league.”

 

What type of impact have some of these veterans in that linebacker room like Anthony Walker had on you and your quick growth and development these last few months?

“They’ve played a very vital role in that. They’ve done a great job of making sure that I have an understanding of what’s needed. I have an understanding of what’s expected of me every day. And they’ve held me to a high standard. So, whenever I make a mistake, they’ll be there to correct me and whenever I do a good job, they’ll be there to praise me and give me a high five. So, it’s been a great experience being in a room with them, and they definitely showed me what it’s like to be a leader, how to be a leader.”

 

What’s been the feedback you’ve gotten from the coaches? When they watch your film together, what are some of the things that they continue to point out? 

“That I’m doing a good job, keep doing what I’m doing. So that’s what I’m focused on, being the same guy every day, not having a really high day and a really low day, just being the same guy every day. So that’s what I’ve been focused on. Of course, they give me improvements or things I need to get better on. You know been focusing on those things and improving them.”

 

Is special teams new to you? Did you do that at Utah? 

“I didn’t play it at Utah, but I did a lot at Florida. So special teams isn’t really too difficult for me, just because a lot of it is just being instinctive, an athlete. Running down the field on kickoff, you know, speed, aggressiveness, all that stuff is stuff that I’ve always naturally played with. So I haven’t had too many difficulties in playing special teams.”

 

Have you been on all the teams here? 

“Yes, sir.”

 

Are you one of those guys who remembers everyone who kind of got drafted instead you? 

“Yeah, for sure. If you name a player, I could probably tell you what round they went in, what team they went to. I was watching that very carefully. So really disrespectful moment, but Andrew Berry came through at the end to come get me. So, I’m very thankful for him and I look forward to repaying him for that effort.”

 

Was it almost beneficial in a way once you realized you weren’t going to get drafted, you kind of got to choose where you wanted to go? 

“I mean, not necessarily. I wouldn’t say it was beneficial. It really wasn’t like anything. I just told my agent, just tell me where we’re going.”

 

Did you have other options? 

“Yeah, I had a lot of good options. You know, it was kind of a negotiation.”

 

You relied on your agent to choose a team?

“Yeah, my agent just really told me, you know, what the best deal was financially. Like I said earlier, I felt confident in my abilities to come and play football, so it didn’t really matter to me where it was. I was confident in myself and where I’m going to be as a person, as a player, whether it’s on the field, in the meeting room, in the media, every aspect of the game. So, I was confident in that.”

 

So did you know anything about the Browns before you signed here? 

“No, absolutely nothing. I never met with the Browns before. I think I met with a scout at the Shrine game, so I didn’t really know anything about the Browns. Actually, after the Draft concluded, I get a FaceTime call from, a random number. I don’t have the number saved. I answer it, and the person starts giving me a spiel like, ‘This is why you should come to Cleveland.’ And I didn’t know the person’s face, so I was like, ‘Excuse me, who are you?’ And it was Stefanski. If you would have asked me on April 28, are you going to be a Cleveland Brown? I would have thought no shot because I never communicated with them. But they did a great job of vetting me. They did a great job of scouting me because when I came here, they had all the information that I could even imagine.”

 

Any other head coach call you?

“(Ron) Rivera? Yeah, it was a couple of head coaches I talked to.”

 

And how do you pronounce your first name? 

“Mahmoud (mah-MOOD).”

 

Have you joked about that with Kevin? 

“No, I actually haven’t. He’s probably going to see this and be like, dang. I’m sure he remembers me asking, like, who are you? But I didn’t mean it in any wrong way or anything. I was just really confused on who this person was, which team they were representing. So, I was thankful for that. That showed me that he had respect for my game and really wanted me as a player. I’m happy to be here under his leadership. He’s been doing a great job so far, and I love it here.”

 

There are a couple of undrafted guys. Rodney McLeod was undrafted. He’s been here forever. D’Anthony Bell is, a second-year guy. He made us undrafted last year. Have they given you any tips? 

“Yeah, definitely. I was actually telling Rod on the field yesterday, you’re the motivation. I want to kind of emulate you. A twelve-year career after going undrafted. So, I try to stay in their ear, him and D Bell, try to figure out what they had to do to get to the point that they’re at now.”

 

Looking back, why do you think you didn’t get drafted? What were teams missing? 

“I don’t know. I feel like probably just I didn’t go to the Combine. Not going to the Combine kind of hurt a lot of my numbers.”

 

You weren’t invited?

“No, I wasn’t invited. So a lot of my numbers I did at Pro Day would have smashed everything at the combine. I feel like that kind of hurt things. I didn’t get to meet with teams, I didn’t get to talk with teams. I had surgery in the season. I didn’t get to go through the medical there, so I feel like all that was a culmination.”

 

I guess the bigger question is, why weren’t you invited to the Combine? 

“I don’t know. I’m looking for that answer, too. So, whenever you find it out, tell one of them to come and get me.”

 

What was the surgery you had? 

“I tore my meniscus the second week of the season, and I was supposed to be out, like, six weeks. I missed two, came back, finished the year.”

 

Why did you switch schools? 

“My coaches got fired. They’re restarting everything. (Dan) Mullen got fired, training staff, everyone. They wiped out the building. So, for my last year, I didn’t want to be in an environment that was in a transitionary period because that wasn’t really something that was going to help me grow as a player. So, I wanted to be in a place that was solid, had solidified leadership, and had a plan of what we were going to do for this year. And that was Utah.”

 

What was the, you said obviously Rodney (McLeod) and D (D’Anthony Bell) were giving you advice, what’s the best advice that you can share with us?

“I wouldn’t say it’s common sense, but it’s just like you’re on a little bit of a tighter leash when you’re undrafted, so you have to be a little bit more exact with everything you do. But like I said, it’s kind of common sense. Anyone who’s undrafted, they know it’s a lot easier to get rid of you than anybody else, so you have to be on your P’s and Q’s a little bit sharper than everybody else.”

 

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