热点黑料

Former South Carolina defensive lineman Tonka Hemingway (2020-2024) is counting down to draft day. Hemingway was a Gamecock for five years, earned his degree, and now he鈥檚 chasing his dream of making it to the NFL. 热点黑料Online caught up with him for part two of his online diary after his recent workout at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis where he was one of 11 former 热点黑料 invited to compete. (If you missed Part 1, click here.)

Tonka鈥檚 Draft Diary- Part 2

鈥淢y mindset going into the NFL Combine was to learn a little bit and just take in and enjoy the whole experience. You only go through that one time. It was a different experience, and I really enjoyed it. I learned some things and met some new people.

鈥淚 went to the Combine to show off my skill set, show that I could work hard, and show that I had good movement.

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 nervous at all. I was more excited to see what would happen.

鈥淵ou have some meetings with (NFL) teams 鈥� formal and informal. They ask a lot of questions about football and try to learn about how you are from the neck up. They get to know more about us and how much football we know.

鈥淲hen it was over, I felt good. My brother (Junior, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs) went through it. I had talked to him a lot about the things he went through, so it was sort of a full-circle moment.

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 had a lot of feedback yet, other than from teammates and friends. It feels good to have so many of my teammates do it. All that work we did the last few years is showing up now. It was great that they got to show off their talents.

鈥淣ow, I just need to continue training. I鈥檓 back in Columbia to do that. It鈥檚 an everyday thing, Monday through Friday. I鈥檒l probably have some weekends off. I feel more comfortable, for sure, training here because it鈥檚 somewhere I鈥檝e been for five years.

鈥淣ow that I don鈥檛 have classes, I鈥檓 just playing the game and trying to get all the work in that I can get.

鈥淒raft Day is next month, and I鈥檓 just taking it one day at a time. I haven鈥檛 planned out my draft day. I鈥檒l just try to treat it like another day. I鈥檒l be at home in Conway, South Carolina 鈥� Bucksville. I鈥檒l probably just have my immediate family there. My mom and my dad and sisters.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 really know what round they think I鈥檒l go, but I鈥檓 not worried about it. I鈥檓 going to get my shot.”