/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46253618/usa-today-8545031.0.jpg)
The Arizona Cardinals surprised most fans by selecting Florida tackle D.J. Humphries in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday. After flying him in, the team introduced its newest player to the media on Friday. He gave a very good first impression. General manager Steve Keim told the media the more he and his staff watched Humphries on tape, the more they liked him.
Humphries showed off his big personality and expressed his excitement for joining the Cardinals, mentioning both the Red Sea and the Birdgang. Coming from the South, he also made it a point to talk about the weather, pointing out how dry it is and how he had a full suit on but hadn't been sweating at all.
Aside from some laughs he provided the media with, there were a couple of things that stood out. He wants to play and he is ready to win.
While he played left tackle all through college, he is expected to play right tackle and is expected to compete for the starting job with Bobby Massie.
Switching sides is no problem.
"I'd play long snapper if they need me to be the long snapper," he said. "If you can play right tackle, you can play left tackle. If you can play left tackle, you can play right tackle. It's all one and the same."
While he is ready t o play anywhere, he wants to play.
"Like I was telling Coach (Bruce Arians) last night, I don't really know how to ride the bench," he said, noting he never sat on the bench in high school or college. "I'm ready to learn on the fly. Everything I need to learn, I'm ready to learn it playing. I'm ready to come in and try to make an immediate impact."
That's exactly what the Cardinals are hoping from their first round pick.
And while he accomplished everything personally he could leading up to the NFL, there is one thing he has not yet done.
"I never won a championship in high school and never won one in college, so now I feel like I really have the opportunity to work toward a Super Bowl, especially playing on a playoff team," he said. "Two 10-game wins in the past years, so we're definitely on the rise."
He also talked about his diet. It is known how he had to work on a 15,000-calorie diet leading up to the draft. He joked he is excited "to keep eating."
The kid is hungry, not only for food, but also success.
This should be great news for Cardinals fans.