New Detroit Lions linebacker Tahir Whitehead held a conference call with the media after he was picked 138th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. The transcript of the call, via the Lions, is below.
On contact with the Lions previously to be drafted: "Barely any. Spoke to them once at the All-Star game and that was the only contact I had with them."
On if this was a surprise to him: "I expected to go where I did. It came to be a big surprise. I didn't have any contact with the Lions at all so I was just very surprised to even hear from them."
On what NFL teams say about his size: "I was told by some I had a pretty good size throughout the whole training program. I gained a little bit of weight like 12 lbs. I was told I could gain a little more."
On whether he's more of an inside or outside LB: "I'm more of an outside. It depends on the scheme.
On whether he's 4-3 scheme comfortable: "Very."
On playing safety: "I feel like I'm mobile enough and I'm a hard worker. Anything that I was ever needed to play I would work my hardest to try and play it."
On coverage skills down field: "I feel pretty confident in my ability to cover."
On Lions and franchise: "I know that over the last couple of years it's been a franchise that is on the rise. I know that it's known for Motor City, a tough community. Tough place to be and a lot of history there."
On special teams: "I've always been excited about special teams. I know that the third of the game is a very important part of the game. I played special teams my whole career- high-school, college. I'm excited about it."
On being a captain: "To me it just describes a person who is confident within themselves, humble, they lead by example. I'm not a guy who gives a bunch of speeches, I just go out there and I have a "get it" dynamic."
On nicknames: "Last couple months I go by "T-dub."
Reminder: You can follow Pride of Detroit on Twitter and like us on Facebook.