Transcript: Cornerback Tre Hawkins III

Cornerback Tre Hawkins III

Q. Congratulations. Were you expecting to get drafted when you did? I know the Giants had shown some interest in you, right?

TRE HAWKINS: Yeah, it's kind of like when you get drafted you never really know, so I didn't have any expectation. I'm blessed to be drafted.

Q. Did you have family around? Were you watching the draft?

TRE HAWKINS: I had the family, but I didn't have too many people just in case I didn't get drafted, but I had my immediate family around.

Q. What's your best attribute as a player?

TRE HAWKINS: My best attribute? I would say my physicality. I'm physical. I'm versatile. I can play anywhere in the back end, and my speed, length and strength.

Q. What was your slot outside in college?

TRE HAWKINS: I didn't play any slot at all. I just played strictly corner, outside corner.

Q. All the scouting reports mention your physicality. Obviously football is a physical game, but where else does that come from, the physicality? What other things did you do? Why is that your mindset?

TRE HAWKINS: I guess I would say I was kind of born with it, growing up with older cousins and you're kind of getting picked on. You've got to be kind of the tough dog out of the little family. I kind of was born with it, kind of groomed into it.

Q. I know it's early in the process, but do you feel your skill set fits in with what Coach Martindale wants to do?

TRE HAWKINS: Oh, yes, sir. He likes to play man and stuff like that, so most definitely.

Q. Could you see yourself a press man type corner?

TRE HAWKINS: I could see myself playing anywhere in the NFL. I can fit any scheme.

Q. Did you have a relationship with Oshane?

TRE HAWKINS: Oshane? I went to ODU and I came from a junior college, so I personally didn't get to meet Oshane, but he welcomed me in when he came up here today.

Q. What does he mean to guys who played at ODU? Not everybody there is primed for the NFL.

TRE HAWKINS: He meant a lot. He wasn't there when a lot of people were there, but people kind of looked up to him because we don't have a lot of people going to the NFL, a of draft picks, so when he comes in, he's most definitely welcome.

Q. Whenever a guy gets drafted like you, not from a Power Five type situation, but level of competition, can he step it up to the next level, what do you say to that, and what are some of the best guys you've played against that will prove that point?

TRE HAWKINS: I don't let too much into level competition. When I face a guy who came from Power Five -- when we hit the NFL, Power Five or Sun Belt or DII doesn't matter. If you get in the NFL, you've got the same competition. Randy Moss, when he went -- where did he go?

Q. Marshall.

TRE HAWKINS: Yeah, he went to Marshall. There's greats everywhere, so level competition isn't too much of a difference.

Q. How much does that JuCo mentality carry with you to where you are now?

TRE HAWKINS: JuCo mentality is more so like eat or starve, so it's kind of the same thing here. It's kind of eat or starve.

Q. What sort of special teams stuff did you do in college?

TRE HAWKINS: I didn't play a lot of special teams at ODU, but at JuCo I played special teams around, I played punt, kickoff, kickoff return. Pretty much a little bit of everything.

Q. I would think that's something you probably would embrace the opportunity -- I know you want to play on defense of course but obviously a guy coming in as a rookie is going to have to do to do some special teams here?

TRE HAWKINS: I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to earn my trust on special teams. I'm looking forward to taking that role.

Q. What was your pre-draft contact with the Giants like? Did you have a meeting with them at the combine or any of the All-Star games?

TRE HAWKINS: Just a top-30 visit.

Q. Is there somebody in particular, I know you want to be your own man, but is there somebody in particular in the NFL you try to model your game after?

TRE HAWKINS: I model my game after a little bit of everybody. I've been told -- kind of making a comparison, Jalen Ramsey, Patrick Surtain, Jimmy Smith, people who kind of got my size and my traits.

Q. What about their style of play? Does that match what you try to do?

TRE HAWKINS: Yeah, they all come down inside with their own thing. None of them are scared neither.

Q. Does anyone call you Larry?

TRE HAWKINS: No, nobody calls me Larry. I've been called Tre since I was born.

Q. What's it like coming in with Deonte? Have you guys been bonding already I'm sure?

TRE HAWKINS: Yeah, he a cool person, and we kind of got a mutual friend, so it was kind of more so easier to talk to somebody with a mutual friend. He's a good guy.

Q. Who's the mutual friend?

TRE HAWKINS: He goes to Old Dominion, Terry Jones. He's from Baltimore, also.

Q. What was it like coming in here today and seeing the facility?

TRE HAWKINS: It's a blessing. It's kind of all hitting me that I'm in the NFL now and I'm walking through the facility being one of the guys. It's most definitely a blessing.

Q. You mentioned the top-30 visit. What stuck out about that and specifically the Giants?

TRE HAWKINS: The Giants, everybody kind of bonded. You could see from the coaches to the staff, everybody just kind of has a good relationship with each other, and that's something I pride myself in and being able to ask somebody -- like being able to look to somebody outside of a coach. Treating somebody like family, I guess.

Q. Not every cornerback wants to get to the line and make tackles and things like that. I know they say you can do that. What separates you as a cornerback in that regard, as far as coming up the line and making tackles, being involved in the run game?

TRE HAWKINS: You kind of just said it. Every corner don't want to tackle. I feel like that's something I do pride myself in, being an overall football player, from covering in to making tackles, basically the versatility about it.