Staying the course on the path to the NFL Draft
The initiative is different now for Asamoah. He’s no longer an Oklahoma linebacker but an aspiring NFL defender. Even so, the process is the same. Hard work is paramount, and that’s something Asamoah has yet to stray from.
Whether it’s training for the 2022 NFL Combine or watching film, Asamoah brings that same focus and intensity. That intensity was put under the spotlight, in fact, at the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.
Making waves at the Reese’s Senior Bowl
In his final collegiate semester, Asamoah took 20 credit hours to graduate on time so he could be eligible to attend the Senior Bowl as a redshirt junior. That in itself is an admirable feat. But Asamoah took it a couple of steps forward and paced the linebackers at the Senior Bowl. Coached by the Jets, he won National Team Linebacker of the Week and left scouts buzzing about his game.
“It was a blessing,” Asamoah said of the Senior Bowl. “Jim Nagy saw talent in me, that I could come in and compete with the best of the best. And that’s pretty much what the Senior Bowl is — the best players in college football, in the entire country. So that was a humbling experience. It was a blessing to go out there.”
Asamoah points to his preparation as the source of his steady impact. Practices can be a trap for some players to let their guard up and go too easy. But Asamoah’s steely focus prevents him from falling down that path.
“I practiced extremely hard because I treat every practice like a game. My approach to practice is very extreme because how you practice is how you play. Proper preparation prevents poor performance, and I feel like I prepared myself really well to go out there and do the things I did.”
The new-age linebacker
Three NFL linebackers come to mind as Asamoah goes through players to emulate. Asamoah admires Devin White for his extreme effort and all-out energy from sideline to sideline. He aspires to have the ability to create turnovers that Darius Leonard has. And he looks to Fred Warner as the paradigm for high-level coverage ability.
While Asamoah actively seeks to take pieces from these linebackers, he’s not shy about the confidence and belief he holds in himself. There are models to follow, but Asamoah knows his abilities are unique.
“I feel like I’m a new-age linebacker, and I’m my own person. I can fit the run, I can run sideline to sideline, and I can cover the opposing team’s best players. I’m a one-of-a-kind linebacker. I emulate all those guys and try to play like them. But at the end of the day, I’ve got to realize that I’m my own player. I’m Brian Asamoah.”
Applying discipline to coverage reps
Confidence is a necessity for NFL players. However, at the same time, it can breed recklessness. While Asamoah has confidence in his abilities, he also understands the need for discipline in every phase. Particularly in coverage, for one to maximize their skill set, doing the homework and trusting your keys goes a long way.
“Having a running back, you’ve got to understand the set and the routes that you can get out of that set — whether it’s a wheel route, whether it’s a flat route, whether it’s a check release. When you’re in the slot, you can get a corner route — especially regarding tight ends. You can get a hitch, you can get an out route. So just understanding what the team does with their best players in certain formations. And then just being able to just cover the guy and blanket him. When you’re on that guy, they’re not looking to throw to him because you’re on that guy.”
Using books to sharpen a competitive mindset
Like anyone else, Asamoah takes time to unwind and relax. His French bulldog Chrome — who coveted the spotlight during his interview — helps keep him active. But even when he’s away from the game, Asamoah doesn’t stay away for long.
Asamoah makes a point to read when he can, using books to help him progress as a human and player. Most recently, “Unstoppable” by Tim Grover was on his list — a book that’s helped him sharpen his competitive mentality by learning from the greats themselves.
“I think that books really helped me this year, seeing how to approach the game with an elite mindset. It talks about guys like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant. To see how they approach the game and to emulate those things is something I appeal to — kind of being a lion. When you’re a lion, you hunt every single day because if you don’t hunt, you’re not going to eat that day.
“That moment that you let up off the gas, that’s when you don’t become the king of the jungle anymore. And so every day, I got to go out there and prove it to myself and to the guys around me that I’m the top dog.”
Hall of Fame aspirations fueled by belief
Asamoah was straight to the point when discussing his goals. There’s no pause or hesitation. Asamoah wants to win a championship. He’s never won one before. He wants to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and in the distant future, he wants to be a Hall of Famer. He wants to be the best ever to play the game.
Anyone can talk. Anyone can say they want to be a Hall of Famer. It’s easy to dream big but hard to work just as much. That’s where so many fall short. But listening to Asamoah’s drive, his passion, and his understanding of the game, you can’t help but convince yourself — just a bit — that he has a chance.
It’s not an obsession with an image that fuels Asamoah’s desire for the gold jacket, but instead, a standard that Asamoah sets for himself every day. Anything less than greatness simply isn’t good enough.
But more than that, for Asamoah, it’s an unfettered, unyielding belief in himself. Whatever he sets out to do, Asamoah believes he can, for one simple reason.
“Because it’s attainable, and I believe I’m the guy that can do those things.”
