NFL Draft Diamonds places the spotlight on players who would not normally get the attention. They search out and interview players not necessarily on the radar of teams in the NFL, CFL or XFL but who are definitely worth considering. Here, Justin Berendzen from Draft Diamonds interviews Mario Flores who alongside fellow teammate and friend wide receiver Daniel Docal Filippidoy made his way to participate in The Spring League.
The Spring League usually operates in the Spring, hence the name but due to the pandemic, everything changed and The Spring League held a fall season and Flores played for the Generals. Earlier this year, before the pandemic halted and then canceled the season in Spain, he played for Osos Rivas from Madrid. He spent the 2019 season with Germany’s Hildesheim Invaders and the 2o18 season with Osos Rivas. In 2017, he helped the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns win the German championship.
You can follow his journey via Twitter @MFS1596.
1.Rank focus, footwork, and skill-based on what is most important to you as a football player and explain why?
Focus is the most important one for me, without it footwork or skill don’t matter. Followed by skill and footwork as I believe skill is a bigger part of the game.
2.What do you do for fun?
Music and movies are my go-to but I also like going out to eat or playing video games.
3.What is your mindset when you are on the football field?
Enjoy the moment, be thankful, and try not to think too much, trust all the work behind that moment, go, and execute.
4.If you could hang out with any football player past or present for a day who and why?
It would be Aaron Rodgers no doubt. He is the most talented quarterback to ever do it and one of the greatest minds in the game at the moment.
5.What has been your biggest challenge in life?
Learning what I truly wanted to do with my life (football), leave everything else apart, and give it all I have. Sounds like the easy part but growing up in Spain that’s not what you are supposed to do, so going against my roots it’s been the hardest thing I had to do.
6.What are your favorite moments from your football life?
My top two moments from football are definitely winning the German Bowl back in 2017 with the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns and the moment I first walked out of the tunnel of the Alamodome for my first practice in the USA.
7.What type of energy do you bring onto the football field?
The effort, effort is what I bring to the football field. I’m not the most athletic talented player but through effort and preparation I can give the best level, I can compete with anybody out there. That mindset is what has taken me to compete and play in some of the biggest teams in Europe and to play overseas.
8.What made you decide you wanted to be a football player?
Is what I love the most to do. I like every aspect of it, the preparation, practice, film, game day… It doesn’t feel like an obligation to me, I could do it every day of my life.
9. What is your favorite stadium that you have played in?
The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
10.What would a team get in a player like you?
The hungriest player on the field. I set high standards for my game, I want to get to the highest level of football there is and I only can do that with effort, preparation and never being satisfied. That’s what my game is, a constant push to improve, learn, and succeed.
11.What do you hope to achieve as a football player going forward?
Right now the goal is to play overseas, get my shot at the next level, the USA, Canada.
12. If your life was a tv show what would you call it and why?
It is not a TV show, it is a YouTube channel called Flemlo Raps. He is a storyteller, he talks about athletes’ improbable stories.
Read the original story in NFL Draft Diamonds.
Reposted by permission.