NFL Media's Oklahoma Drill series presents exclusive, quick-hitting one-on-one interviews with players and coaches from around the league. No nonsense -- just football experiences directly from the source.
Vonn Bell
Safety, Ohio State
Born: Dec. 12, 1994
Experience: Draft prospect
Interview by Brooke Cersosimo | March 18, 2016
I always want the best of people. I'm that guy with a good religion background. I try to change people's lives in any type of way. Always just be that guy to lean on.
Best safety in the league? It's gotta be my guy Eric Berry. He's a workhorse, always wanting to be the best. He fought cancer and beat that. He's one of those guys you can always lean on, always accountable. One of the best out there in the game.
Yes, I do think I'm the best [safety in this year's draft class]. I come with all of the mechanics, the full package. You'll get a coach, a leader, a guy who can hold his guys accountable and another guy in the locker room who's gonna lead, too, on and off the field.
Amari Cooper. He's one of the best. His whole college career, I always watched him and admired his game. I know he always worked hard and wanted to be the best receiver. In college football, my sophomore year, playing against him in the Sugar Bowl, and I looked to Eli [Apple] -- one of the other top corners in the draft -- and I said, "Man, we got a tough one on our hands."
I wanna rematch with Sammy Watkins. He got me my freshman year at the Orange Bowl. I always told him that I'm gonna get him back when I get older.
I like the whole thing, especially the private workouts. You get to see what your potential future position coach is like, get on the board, talk ball, get to know his family, and they get to know you.
What a ball. What a whirlwind. I'll never do this again -- you get to do this one time and just cherish the moment.
I like Batman -- he's my favorite. He's not with super powers. He's like a scientist, but he's always outthinking everybody and everything. So he got every angle. He's just like a normal human being. You would never know, just wears a suite. Bruce Wayne is a smooth guy and he's just very tough to beat. I like his instincts and his IQ.
It doesn't really matter where I get drafted. But it would really hit me in my heart [to play for the Cowboys] -- like, I might cry.
Are you going to be a cat or a dog? I said, "I'm a dog. I ain't gonna be no cat." That's probably one of the weirdest questions I ever got [at the combine].
I said it's not going to be right for me to be here without Coach Ash. He wanted to be a head coach and I wanted to chase my dream, too. So we put ourselves in the best situation for each other's family. Now, he's a head coach. And he told me that I'm one of the best safeties out here, so go admire your dream and chase it and put your family in the best situation financially, and do what I love.
We always joke with [Urban Meyer]. But he got the "E + R = O" ... event plus response equals outcome. Always making an intention to move forward.
I love to fish. I like to go off the map a little bit. You never know where I'm at. I love to keep to myself, just chill and a laid-back person.
Football idols?Tyrann Mathieu, Eric Berry, Earl Thomas, Ed Reed, Charles Woodson. Some of my guys at Ohio State. Um, Kurt Coleman, Malcolm Jenkins. I'll always watch those guys and always learn from them. I look to them as a big brother.
Kurt Coleman just told me to just keep being myself. Everything will play out. "You're a great person and just keep working hard every day. God put you in this moment for something and he got a way for you."
I have a big heart. Do what I love and have no regrets and no worries.
