Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr is one of the most debated prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft, and he hears just about everything that's being said about him. He doesn't agree with it all and has been on a whirlwind tour of the country to prove to teams that he's the best quarterback in the draft.
College Football 24/7 caught up with the nation's leading passer from last season as he went through the NFL Network offices and put him in the spotlight as he hung out in the green room.
What's been the most difficult part of this whole pre-draft process for you?
Derek Carr: The most difficult part is just hearing everybody's opinions. They come from everywhere. Even a guy like me, I don't pay attention to that stuff but someone will come up to you and say, 'Hey did you hear this about you?' I don't even want to hear it, good and bad. I just want to continue to be myself and work hard.
How much has your brother David helped you with everything?
DC: He's been great. Having a guy that has been through the whole process, having a guy that's been in the NFL for 13 years, what a source. He's such a resource to have in your corner. It's been substantial in just the help he's given me.
You're kind of unique in that you're a probable first-rounder who's already married. What does your wife think of this whole process?
DC: She enjoys it, it's a fun process for her and exciting. For me, I just enjoy it. This is a dream come true. Malcolm Jenkins was just telling me that you're living out a dream come true, it doesn't matter where you get drafted or when. That meant a lot.
What was the toughest private workout you went through?
DC: They are all pretty tiring. There's not really one, they all just want to see you work when you're tired and see if you're in shape, if you can throw under pressure and all those things. If you're in shape, it shouldn't be too tough.
Who have you heard from the most about a team picking you in the draft?
DC: It's hard for me to put any names out there. The perception of me out there, there's two different ones. There's one some media people have and there's one that the teams have. I know which ones I'm going to listen to come draft day. All it takes is one team. If I go first or if I go undrafted and I sign, I'm still going to be the same person. I'm going to go out and work hard and make a team. That's the No. 1 goal, make the team because nothing is guaranteed. There's so much I'm looking forward to that when it comes to teams drafting me, that doesn't matter until May 8.
Do you have any draft day plans set already?
DC: I was invited to go to New York, but with so much family and stuff, I don't know if we'll all be able to get out there. We haven't made a final decision yet, but as soon as we do, we'll let everyone out there know. To be honest, we just haven't decided yet.
When you sit down with coaches and general managers, what's your pitch to them?
DC: You see each year a guy that gets better -- drastically getting better on film. If someone says otherwise, I can't agree with that. My junior year I had to get tougher and played through an injury. Playing with that injury I needed to be better in the pocket. I listened to my coaches and got better. I've played in two systems, played under two coaches, and still we had success. There's a lot of things that you could talk about, but I'd say No. 1 is just my preparation and work ethic.
I'm sure you have a bit of a sour taste in your mouth after losing to USC in your last game. How much are you looking forward to just playing football again?
DC: No doubt, that's one reason why I went to the Senior Bowl. The Senior Bowl is really my last taste. There was a decision about whether I was going to play in the Senior Bowl or not, and I said I was going to play especially because of that Vegas Bowl. That was definitely not who I am. I went out against better competition all week in practice -- ACC, SEC, Pac-12 -- from all over and wanted to show people that the Vegas Bowl was a bad game. I don't play my best all the time. Watch the Senior Bowl, watch the practices, watch how I do in the game, in a pro-style offense with everything you want to see. Hopefully that film showed them I can do those things.
Anything coming up in the next few weeks
DC: (Wednesday) I'll head out to Tampa Bay. I'm not sure of the date, but I'll also head out to Cleveland. Those two are coming up.
*Follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter **@BryanDFischer.*
