2017 NFL Draft interview: Georgia OT Tyler Catalina

When you make the leap from Rhode Island to Georgia, was there a very clear difference in the level of competition for you — not only for your own team but also Saturday to Saturday?

Absolutely. I would say every week and every game and almost every play, there was a first-round talent lined up against me on the other side of the ball. Every week was a new challenge, new guys who were versatile that you had to prepare for during the week. It was obviously a huge step up from where I was, but I knew I was good enough to play at that level and accepted the challenge and met it.

A lot of guys will make the leap from a smaller school to the NFL and the questions are there about whether they can handle the leap in competition. You’ve been able to stair-step this one level at a time. What do you learn about yourself when you make that first leap? Does it expose weaknesses and do you find yourself preparing for the same thing at the next level?

Yeah, like I said before, it’s about technique. You can also never take a play off. One thing I learned quick in practice is that guys are competing for starting spots, so every day in practice, every drill, every rep, so if you take a rep off, you’ll get embarrassed. If you get embarrassed, you’re not going to play. I’ve learned to take every day and every practice as if it was a game-like situation, because if you slack off, you’ll lose your job.

You mentioned going against first-round talents. Who was the toughest?

I would say the two toughest were Charles Harris from Missouri and Derek Barnett from Tennessee. Those guys were both extremely talented and tough guys who are very good pass-rushing defensive ends. Being able to go up against those guys and see how well I matched up against them was a good experience for me.

You mentioned versatility and I heard that at the Georgia pro day, teams were looking at you along the interior, right?

Absolutely.

That’s new territory for you, but how new is it?

Well, it’s not terribly new. When I was at Rhode Island, I was actually the back-up center for a year before I transferred out, so I had the experience of snapping the ball and playing the position. Guard, to me, is no different than tackle. Yeah, the rules are a little different, but I find it’s just as easy as playing on the outside.

Do you have a preference?

Absolutely not. Whatever will keep me on the field and on a roster, I’ll play it.

I read the Chiefs have been in contact with you–

Yep.

The Steelers?

Yep.

Who else has been a part of that?

I participated in the NFLPA game out in L.A. in January, and I can honestly say there’s not a team that I haven’t been in contact with. There were teams at my pro day like the Chiefs and the Steelers and Panthers and Falcons, but I’ve spoken with every team.

What sort of feedback are you getting from teams?

A lot of them will say that I’ve been doing a pretty good job throughout the year. The most common thing that teams ask me about is why I made the jump, why did I leave Rhode Island? Was I running away from something or was it about the competition? That’s the constant for every team in their interview process.

What do you say to that?

I tell them the same thing. I knew I could play at the highest level at the collegiate level and I had the opportunity to move up and do it and I wanted to move up and show teams at the next level that I could play.