Chiefs rookie WR Brandon Eakins gives interview

Ben Almquist for Arrowhead Addict (AA): You were largely an unknown player coming into the draft evaluation phase.  At what point did you decide to give the NFL a shot?

Brandon Eakins: It was really the beginning of senior year.  A lot of scouts came by to watch practices.  We did a junior pro day where Detroit and Seattle, their scouts came in and timed us in the 40 (yard dash), and they became a little interested.

AA: Coming from a true triple option offense at The Citadel, you didn’t get a lot of experience in running routes and catching passes.  Did you take any steps or attend any camps to work on that before your Pro Day?

BE: Not (really).  I kind of looked up the route tree and looked up guys who run it.  There are actually a couple of guys on YouTube that run the route tree.  I (watched them) to see things I could correct.  I basically ran routes every day.

AA: Your pro day workout numbers would have placed you in the upper echelon in a number of events at the combine.  Do you feel confident in how you stack up against those players that did attend the combine and were drafted?

BE: Yes I do actually.  The thing is my numbers (at the pro day) were not my best numbers.  They were pretty good, but I believe if I had gotten my PR (personal record) in all those events, I would be a lot higher.

AA: The Chiefs talked with you at your pro day.  Can you tell us about that conversation?  Who did you speak with?

BE: I really can’t tell you exactly.  (The scout) talked with me afterwards and said I looked pretty good running routes.  He had me do a Human Resource Test to make sure I was there mentally.  Then they did a patter recognition test to see how quick I pick up on patterns.

AA: Did any other teams talk with you at your pro day?

BE: It was only Buffalo, Cleveland, and Kansas City out there.  The Cleveland scout told me I did a great job, and the Buffalo scout also told me I did a good job.  But they didn’t really speak with me afterwards.

AA: Did the Chiefs keep in touch with you between your pro day and the draft?

BE: Between pro day and draft day, not exactly.  There were a lot of other teams that actually called me.  It wasn’t the Chiefs, but I knew the Chiefs were still interested because of our conversation after the pro day.

AA: You said that multiple teams reached out to you before the draft ended.  How much did the early interest of the Chiefs affect your decision?

BE: It really didn’t.  I just wanted to be able to get in and pursue my dream and get to the next level.  I really had to look into the Chiefs more after they called me up.

Next: What has the process been like?