Few programs have excelled at churning out top NFL talent like Michigan, and the 2021 draft class will be no exception.
One of this year’s top prospects for the Wolverines is Kwity Paye, one of the most explosive and athletic edge defenders in all of college football.
Paye recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his family’s journey from West Africa to the United States, navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what we can expect from him moving forward.
JM: How have you managed to stay in shape and keep up with your weight training throughout the pandemic?
KP: When the pandemic first broke out, a lot of my teammates went home. One of my roommates and I actually stayed here in Michigan and we did anything we could to stay in shape. We were going to the playgrounds and using the monkey bars for pull-ups. We did a lot of at-home workouts well, push-ups and what not.
Whatever I could get my hands on to lift, I did just that. It was time to get creative, not complacent. I did everything I could to stay in shape.
We eventually linked up with a former teammate of ours who had a gym in his garage. We started working out there.
We started out working out together as a team again in July. I believe that’s when some of the restrictions started to lift.
JM: Your background has been well-documented. Your family made an amazing journey from West Africa to the United States. How do you reflect on that journey?
KP: The journey speaks for itself. We’ve come so far. Nothing came easy for us, nothing was handed to us. We had to work for everything we have. Being able to move my family up the economic class would be a dream come true for me. It’s unreal. To change our lives forever, it’s unbelievable.
I came to America when I was just six months old. I grew up here. At the same time, it was different. I’m black, my skin tone is black, but I didn’t feel like the other black kids. I always felt like they were American and I was African. I grew up in an African household. We ate different foods. We spoke differently. Kids always used to tell me that I talked weird. I was told that I smelled weird.
Growing up, it was just different. It’s a completely different culture. It wasn’t the best experience for me. Over the years, I acclimated and became situated with my American side.
JM: What’s it like to have a position coach like Don Brown?
KP: It’s crazy. He doesn’t care who you are. He doesn’t pay attention to your accolades, he doesn’t care about what you’ve done in the past. What are you doing for me now? He’s gonna make sure that he gets the best out of you, no matter what.
He respects you, but he’s not gonna treat you like a superstar. He doesn’t pay attention to status. He’s not gonna let me take a day off practice because of my name. He pushes you every single day.
He has your best interests at heart. He wants you to help the team, but he wants us to help ourselves as well. I love that about him. I have so much respect for him. He’ll never allow you to sell yourself short.
JM: You made Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” earlier this year. He has you down for some outlandish numbers, given your size and position.
KP: I played multiple sports growing up. I feel like that’s where a lot of my athleticism comes from. Playing multiple sports definitely helped develop my athletic ability. My first sport was track. Being able to run at my size, that’s what got me recruited in the first place.
It’s funny, before he put me on the list, I remember reading some projections for what I’d do at the combine, for what my numbers may look like. Somebody had me down for a 4.80 in the 40-yard dash. I remember reading that and thinking, “Man, they don’t know me at all” (laughs). I feel like my track background is a bit of a mystery.
The Freaks List came out and everything changed. It sheds some light on my love for other sports besides football.
JM: What are three traits that a successful edge rusher must possess?
KP: A good get-off is definitely first and foremost. Every great pass rusher needs to have a great go-to move. You also need to have a great counter move. When it comes to being a pass rusher, you need to be able to counter. As an edge guy, they expect you to be a great pass rusher.
I believe that’s what I am, but I’m also very good in the spread run defense. That’s becoming more important at the NFL level. You have to be able to play against that spread run nowadays.
JM: What’s your go-to move?
KP: I’ve been working on the stab-club. I have to mention the ghost as well. If those two moves don’t work, I’d probably counter with a long-arm to squeeze the pocket down and get some pressure on the quarterback.
The ghost is kinda like a stab, but you lower your shoulder and lean into your man. Von Miller probably executes the ghost better than any other player in the league. I watch a lot of Von Miller tape.
JM: Besides Von Miller, who else do you enjoy watching on tape?
KP: Our coaches give us a lot of tape to watch. I personally love watching Von Miller. I watch a lot of Yannick Nkagoue, as well. We watch a lot of 49ers tape. That whole 49ers D-line is pretty good. We watch Nick Bosa. When we watch interior linemen, we watch Aaron Donald, of course.
We’re all over the place. We watch a lot of T.J. Watt, as well. We watch guys based on moves we’re trying to learn. If there’s a player we feel like has perfected a pass rush move or technique, we put the tape on. For example, T.J. Watt is really good at the cross-chop. If we wanna watch how the cross-chop is executed, we watch Watt. If we wanna learn how about the ghost, we go watch Von Miller. We switch it up.
JM: You played a couple of different positions before settling in on the defensive line. How did that experience make you a better edge player?
KP: It helped me a lot. I played running back in high school. Even now when I train, those running back drills can help you at any position. Having that running back background means I have good feet. I have good balance when I’m doing certain moves.
JM: What’s your biggest weakness at this point in time?
KP: One thing I really had to work hard at this offseason was my go-to move and my counter move when my go-to doesn’t work. I really worked hard on that during the offseason. I feel like I’m on the right path to perfecting my craft. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the opportunity to play football this year.
JM: What’s it like playing for Jim Harbaugh?
KP: Coach Harbaugh is a lot like coach Don Brown. He appreciates that you’re doing well and he’ll give you your respect, but he’ll never let you get complacent. He wants you to get better every day and he provides you with all the tools necessary to do so. He always gives you an opportunity to get better. He wants us to take advantages of the resources that surround us. He’s the type of coach that wants to see you improve.
JM: What are some of your best memories of playing in the best stadium in all of college football?
KP: The Big House is such a special place. I remember playing a home game against Wisconsin during my sophomore year. The atmosphere was crazy for that one. The atmosphere for Penn State and Notre Dame is always crazy, as well.
JM: What comes to mind when I say, “Maize and Blue?”
KP: Maize and Blue means a Saturday home game. I prefer a noon start time. Seeing all the Maize in the streets as we make the drive over to the stadium is a crazy experience. Running out of the tunnel to all the fans going crazy, there’s nothing like it.
JM: What’s up next for Kwity Paye?
KP: I’m just gonna continue to improve. Coach Harbaugh has given us an opportunity to still practice so that we can continue to hone our craft. The coaching staff has been doing a great job working in some combine drills for us. I’m very thankful to Michigan for that. We’ve been working on the D-linemen drills. I’m trying to improve every single day.
At the same time, I’m trying to pass on all the knowledge I have to the younger guys. I want those guys to have the same opportunities to be great that I did. That’s what Michigan is all about.
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