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Jaylen Harrell's draft diary: Whirlwind well worth it for chance to live out NFL dream
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- Jaylen Harrell's draft diary: Whirlwind well worth it for chance to live out NFL dream
What a whirlwind these past seven weeks have been.
I feel like I've been going nonstop since we beat Washington in the national championship game . We flew home the day after the game, I spent the next few days packing up my apartment before our parade, then I flew to Florida the next day to start training for the NFL combine.
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I spent a week in Mobile, Alabama, for the Senior Bowl, I've been back in Florida the past three weeks, and I'm off to Indianapolis next.
Michigan defensive end Jaylen Harrell takes a selfie with fans to celebrate the 34-13 win over Washington to win the national championship game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024.
There's always got something going on, but it's worth it. This is what I wanted.
Beating Washington meant so much to our team. We made winning the national championship our goal, really starting after we lost to TCU in the semifinals last year. We knew what we had to work on, we knew why we fell short the past couple years, and when we started winter workouts, we attacked every day so it was a blessing to see it all pay off.
We went through a lot of adversity as a team this past year, heard a lot of naysayers and a lot of outside noise trying to get us off our pivot, but we stayed together. Even in games we didn't have our head coach, we still were able to prevail through the challenges and get it done.
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Playing Washington felt like a normal game in a lot of ways. Even after the game, it didn't really hit me, honestly, that we won the national championship . Maybe when we get our rings, it'll hit better.
People keep saying congrats on the national championship. It's what you dream of when you're a little kid, but I haven't had too much time to enjoy it.
Michigan defensive end Jaylen Harrell (32) looks to tackle Alabama running back Justice Haynes (22) during the second of the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 1, 2024.
I kind of made my decision to turn pro during the season. I talked to my coaches, talked to my family, I prayed about it and I really just feel like it was the right time and I feel like I can bring a lot of great things to the NFL.
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I improved upon the things I know the league wanted me to improve upon, and put myself in a position to come out and be a draft prospect. The biggest thing coming into this year for me was to be a more effective pass rusher. A lot of people saw me as just a run stopper, someone who had the ability to drop in coverage, a did-the-right-thing type of guy, but I expanded my pass rush arsenal and was more productive (6½ sacks).
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I really feel like I'm continuing to grow and learn and get better each and every day. I'm just scratching the surface, I feel like, so I'm excited to just continue working and show everyone at the combine.
Really, combine training as I've learned is really not football training. I did a little football training for the Senior Bowl, but when it comes to the combine, you're training like a track athlete. You have a more specific diet. The workouts you're doing, you aren't lifting to get swole, you're looking to get more explosive when it comes to sprinting.
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I ran track in middle school, but that was nothing like this. My trainers at Bommarito Performance Systems have worked a lot on my form and technique. What hand I want down, how low I need to be with my hips. When it comes to your start, just how important it is. One little thing could have you off just a millisecond and every second is really important when it comes to the combine. If you mess up and your hand's not where it needs to be, that's time and time is money, so it's really key.
Michigan defensive end Jaylen Harrell pressures Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill during the first half of the Big Ten championship game at Luca Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
I intend to do everything at the combine, but I lost a little bit of training time playing in the national championship game and the Senior Bowl, so I'm going to see how it goes.
My goal is to be peaking at the combine, and to look as fluid as possible in position drills. Interviews are a big part of the combine, too, so I just want to show teams how intelligent I am and how much I can bring to a locker room when it comes to character.
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I'm getting a little antsy for it, honestly. The combine's almost here, got pro day coming up, and I'm really just trying to not get too caught up in my head. Coach Harbaugh used to call it a one-track mind, so I've really been doing that, just having a one-track mindset, staying locked in and take everything that's thrown at me day by day, that's the biggest thing.
Michigan's Jaylen Harrell is doing a biweekly draft diary for the Free Press this spring .
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him @davebirkett .
Michigan fans! Celebrate the national title with our two commemorative books: "Blue Reign " and "Maize & Grand " — order now! You can also buy commemorative wall art of the front page of the Detroit Free Press from the morning after U-M's historic championship.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan's Jaylen Harrell draft diary: Whirlwind worth it for NFL dream
