A local product making waves at the combine is a talented wide receiver from Kansas, Dezmon Briscoe. Perhaps unfortunately, he's also known as "the other Dez," although the Dallas native says he doesn't mind. Why should he since he burned defensive backs for 1,300+ yards and 9 touchdowns last year? (And that's coming after a previous season of 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns.)
At his Combine press conference, he addressed concerns about his speed and what he can learn from Dez Bryant.
Q: Why'd you make your decision to come out early?
A: I feel like I put together three solid seasons at the college level, so I felt it was time to move on.
Q: What'd your coaches say?
A: Well, Coach Mangino, my former coach at the time, he felt like I was ready and that it was selfish for him to keep me for another year. Him saying that made me feel like I was ready for the next level.
Q: Who do you look to at the pro level that best represents what you're like?
A: I'd have to say Larry Fitzgerald. He doesn't say much. he just goes out there to get the job done. That's the type of receiver I really am. I don't really show much emotion when I make a big play that's what's expected.
More after the jump:
Q: Do you think your strength lies in
A: Obviously I'm not the fastest receiver out there, but my size really makes up for it. And my yard after the catch makes up for it as well. I feel I'm more of the possession, big-play receiver.
Q: Do you still talk to Coach Mangino?
A: Yes, sir. I keep in contact with him. I talked to him a couple days ago before I got here.
Q: What'd you talk about?
A: Basically, he was just seeing what I was doing and I was seeing how he was doing. Just checking up on each other. We just try to keep that contact. You know, he did recruit me. He's a phenomenal coach. I learned a lot from him and he helped me mature as a player and as a man.
Q: Did he get a raw deal?
A: I'm not sure, so I don't really know anything about that.
Q: Do you think the speed thing plays into your perception?
A: Well, it's something that people really put an emphasis on, the 40 at the Combine. As a player, we obviously look at it the same way as the coaches do. It's a big deal, so we try to go out there and perform my best. Personally, I feel that I play faster than my 40, so we'll see what happens when I run on Sunday.
Q: How does a non-speed receiver have three 200 yard games?
A: [Laughs] As I said earlier, it's the yards after catch. I don't usually get too many fade balls where I get 50 yards here and 50 yards there. I usually have to earn my yards.
Q: How gratifying was it to get 242 yards against Missouri?
A: It was in the back of my mind since we ended up losing. I take the blame for that one, actually, because I had two fumbles. If you go back through my career, I don't fumble, so those two I gave up override the 242 that I did have.
Q: What's it like being the other Dez in the draft?
A: [Laughs] Yeah, me and Dez [Bryant] are really cool. He moved to Dallas and when I went home, we could kick it a little bit. Being the other Dez, I get that a lot. What can I say? He's great, as far as weight-wise, and he's such a great receiver. I've learned a lot from him, and I think he can take some things from me as well. That's how that goes.
Q: What does he have to teach you?
A: I feel like he's a physical presence at the line of scrimmage. He controls cornerbacks. I feel like I do that as well, but there's some technical things I can take from that he does for me to get better.