Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Corey Washington: Preseason Hero
Recently, I was searching around the internet to find Corey Washington’s pro day workout numbers. My reasoning was I wanted to compare them to former New York Giant, Plaxico Burress, who Corey reminds me a lot of. As it turns out, I stumbled upon a very good interview that Corey Washington gave to Theresa Villano of Pro Player Insiders. There is a lot of good stuff from Corey in there and I am going to highlight some of the answers that I think Giants fan will be excited about most. If you are interested in the full interview you can find it here.
Corey on what stood out most during his Pro Day workout:
"My 40 time. The scouts and everyone have been saying I don’t have that elite speed. They were predicting me to run a full six, so I ran out there. I ran a 4.5 split and showed them I can have elite speed"
Corey on his favorite college memory:
"My best college memory would be during a playoff game. One of our guys got hurt and he was the kick returner. He couldn’t do it so they put me back there for my first time all season. From there I took two kick returns back for touchdowns."
Corey on his family and obstacles he has overcome in his life:
"They played a role. My family has kept me focused. I have a lot of my little siblings and cousins making sure I block the outside world. Coming up with no parents was tough. That’s been the biggest obstacle. I mean I had my grandma raise me but everybody wants that parent in their life. I had grandmother."
Corey on who he models his game after (Giants fans will really love this answer):
"I want to say Randy Moss. I like to take the top off the defense like Randy. We are both high jumpers, tall, and we both have good hands. Moss and I don’t talk that much trash unless someone pisses us off."
Corey Washington and his #1 fan, Mathew. Credit: Pro Player Insiders
Corey on why he smiles so much and his biggest fan, Mathew:
"Life man! It’s a great opportunity (to have a chance in the league) not to many players get to go through this (pro days). That is what I’ve got going on right now. It feels good.Why not smile? Mathew and I are close. We text every day. He’s very inspirational for me. Just to see him in his walker… that motivates me to just do everything great. He looks for me to do great and I don’t want to let him down"
Corey on the NFL team he would most want to play on (hint: it was not the Giants):
"I’ll have to go with the home town team, the Carolina Panthers. It is closer for the family to come see me play, Mathew can come and I’d like to play with Cam Newton."
Corey on what inspires him and what he would bring to a NFL team (spoiler, my favorite answers):
"I really like my high school coach’s quote, “You are what you repeatedly do. Therefore, what you do for excellence, is not an act but a habit.” I love that quote. I get by on that quote every day… A winning attitude, play making abilities, and a steal. I am a baller and a leader that is just a winner."
I am sure Giants’ fans are happy that Corey Washington did not end up going to his hometown favorite team, the Carolina Panthers, and is instead on their beloved Giants. Washington has really come out of pretty much nowhere to be one of the breakout players of the 2014 New York Giants training camp and preseason. His 6’4 frame is something the Giants passing attack sorely needs. So far, Corey has caught the game winning TD pass in each of his first three preseason games, a pretty astounding feat for the undrafted rookie.
Besides his excellent play on the field, with his words here you can tell Washington is a confident young man, and has exactly the type of attitude it takes for an undrafted player to make a NFL roster. Without question, he is somebody Giants’ fans will be rooting for hard to make the final 53-man roster, and at this point, it would be big surprise if he did not.
Oh, and about those workout numbers I was looking for, here they are:
6’4, 214lbs, 33″ vertical leap, 10’5″ broad jump, 4.50sec 40-yard dash, 4.39 shuttle, 6.83 3-cone, and 14 reps on the bench press.
And here are Plaxico Burress’ combine results from when he was a rookie:
6’6, 231lbs, 33″ vertical leap, 4.59sec 40-yard dash, 9’7″ broad jump
Burress was certainly bigger, but looking at some of those measurables, I can see why Washington has reminded me a bit of Plaxico. While it is still very, very early, in Washington’s young career, he has certainly been impressive on and off the field. The sky is the limit for the young man, and I am one Giants’ fan who certainly can’t wait to see where his journey ends up taking him. Starting with this Friday night against the Jets, wondering with the rest of Giants Nation:
How exactly will Corey Washington win the game for the Giants in the fourth quarter this week?