On Friday afternoon the Scarlet Knights football team added another former player to the list of guys who made the NFL. That list increased when defensive lineman Kemoko Turay was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round with the 52nd overall pick.
The Knight Report caught with Turay’s mentor and former high school position coach, Nhemie Theodore, to talk about what the Colts are getting in Kemoko Turay.
“He’s extremely explosive, his burst is something else,” Theodore told TKR. “I played football in the Big Ten with some explosive guys, but his first step is one I’ve never seen before. For him to be 6-foot-5, and contort his body with his speed it’s elite. I’ve seen guys on tv do it before like Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware be able to do that. He’s been doing this consistently for a long time and I think that is his biggest advantages. Since he jumped on the field, he just wants to make every play. In his first year playing ball he had 100+ tackles. He reminds me a little bit of of Khalil Mack. I’m not saying that Kemoko is at the that level right now, but his best football is definitely ahead of him.”
The former Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive tackle went on to talk about where Turay fits best in the NFL.
“I think he projects best as a stand up outside linebacker type,” said Theodore. “Someone that can stand on the edge and rush the passer, and drop back in coverage at time. Even if he plays in a four-three system, he will cause some havoc on the offensive line.”
Turay spent five seasons playing for the Scarlet Knights before making the jump to the NFL. He fought off injuries and also had to play under two different college head coaches, but made the best of a situation.
“At Rutgers, he learned from quite a few different coaches,” Theodore said. “There is both some good and bad that comes from that. You learn to hear and pick up things from different voices from people. They also helped him really focus on academics. A lot of people are shocked to find out that he was an IT major coming out Newark Tech. They helped him realize his brilliance and helped to fuel his confidence for life in general.”
As it goes for just about every single rookie heading to the NFL, there are always some flaws that need to be worked on.
“The number one thing that he has to work on is the snaps,” stated Theodore. “Also, the weight, he has to put on some real good weight. There are no more classes or study hall it’s professional football. You are in a professional setting you have to make sure that your body will continue to mature. Right now he is 250-255, but when he gets to 265-270 he has to continue to maintain that speed. He does maintain that speed, they have a guy who is unblockable.”
For the past couple of weeks Turay has been training nonstop, and preparing some of his skills to become a successful professional football player.
“One of the main things we’ve been working on in the past few weeks is the interview aspect of things,” Theodore said. “Kind of just being himself, being open and honest about everything. We’ve also been doing some overall conditioning with his hands and feet, this way he is ready to go. We are also making sure that he is taking care of his body, stretching, icing and stuff like that.”
