Aside from the quarterbacks at the very top, there is no group with more buzz heading into the 2020 NFL Draft than the wide receiver class. There are a number that could find their way into the first round and the depth is rather incredible throughout the draft.
As such, there’s going to be ample opportunity for teams to find talent at receiver who fit whatever needs they may have. There are burners, shifty slot guys, and some serious physical specimens on the outside. Antonio Gandy-Golden from Liberty fits into that latter category. At 6’4, 223 pounds, he has terrific size, and during the Flames’ two seasons at the FBS level, Gandy-Golden recorded more than 2,400 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.
He has big play ability, as evidenced by his 17.7 yards per reception, and was, by far, Liberty’s best offensive weapon. Entering the NFL Draft, Gandy-Golden figures to find himself taken in the mid-rounds given the depth of this year’s class, but he has the size and potential to be a steal for whatever team lands him. Ahead of the start of NFL Draft weekend, Gandy-Golden spoke with Uproxx Sports on behalf of Panini, as he is part of their “Road to Rated Rookie” video series that will follow Jerry Jeudy, D’Andre Swift, Jordan Love, Eno Benjamin, and Gandy-Golden through the draft process and into their NFL debuts.
Gandy-Golden discussed the somewhat strange draft process he’s gone through this year, how he’s been able to keep training, his love of puzzles, what teams have told him to work on the most in his game, and more.
This has obviously been a unique draft process for everybody. What has it been like for you the last couple months?
It’s been pretty normal, aside from everything being shut down. I’ve still been able to workout and things like that, so I can’t really get too deterred or thrown off my schedule as far as that goes. It’s definitely been weird having to find new places and just trying to work things out to where I can workout.
What have you found you’ve been able to do to keep training and keep trying to sharpen those skills as you get ready to go to the next level?
I’ve pretty much been able to do everything. I’m up at my school right now, so I can use our outdoor fields and some days our indoor fields. I have a few people that have been able to come throw with me so I can catch with and things like that, and I also have a small gym here I still have access to.
You’re part of Panini’s “Road to Rated Rookie” series. What are folks going to learn about you as a person and a player in this series?
It’s been crazy…but from @LibertyFootball, to @seniorbowl, to the Combine, to the @NFLDraft, the pieces are starting to come together! Thank you @paniniamerica for helping me tell my story.
#roadtotheratedrookie pic.twitter.com/EGaZvLLhOF
— Antonio Gandy-Golden (@gandygolden11) April 20, 2020
I feel like I’m more than just a football player. I have many other things I can do that I have interest in, and I feel like that will interest them in just seeing that aspect of it and it’s more than I just play football at the level that I do. I just am an overall fun guy. I’m not just a big stiff robot that plays football [laughs].
What are some of those things you like to do off the field, whether it’s to decompress or just non-football stuff you’re really into?
Yeah, I like puzzles and that’ll be a big thing people see most and find that interesting. I love anything that pretty much challenges me, so I have this think called the Kendama that I do. I like to draw, I like music and things like that, I like to dance on occasion. You know, just to have fun and lighten up the mood.
Part of the draft process is kind of selling yourself to teams and letting them know what they’d be getting if they take you. What are you telling teams that you talk to in meetings or calls about you as a football player and what they’d be getting as a guy in the locker room?
Yeah, yeah, so just as a football player, I do what I’m supposed to do on the field as well as off the field, but that I’m a guy they can trust and rely on to get things done. I feel like that’s a good thing for a team. I’m physical — a big, physical receiver — and I like to impose my will. They can look at my film and see that, but it’s always good to hear it when they talk to me. Off the field, I don’t get in trouble. So that’s another sort of security blanket type of thing they can have, just knowing that off the field issues will not be a worry.
On the other side, what are things teams have told you that they want to see you work on and improve on — as well as the things they like in your game — in terms of feedback of what they’ve seen on tape?
So they like my physicality and how I am on the field. They like how I run a route, like my head’s on fire, basically. We can agree on this too, that I need to polish up my releases and work on those, and just get that initial separation. But overall they say they like my game and anything else they say they can help me work on.
As you say, you’re a big, physical guy at 6’4, 220-230, who are the guys in the league that you look up to or model your game after or think you have some similarities to?
I love Julio Jones, Larry Fitzgerald. Those have always been my top two guys. Definitely as of recently, Michael Thomas just with how smooth he is and how efficient he is and gets things done and has become one of the top few guys in the league the past few years. Just those three guys mainly, Thomas fairly recently, but those top two guys for a long time.
How are you managing the stress and excitement as we get a few days away from draft weekend?
I’ve just been relaxing, taking my time just in my day. Enjoying this time I have right now, and working out of course. That’s always a good thing, just trying to set a pace and having everything ready to go so when my name is called I won’t have any hiccups.
When your name is called, what’s your setup going to be for watching the Draft?
I’m going to be at my school and hopefully I can get one of the facilities to have a nice place to watch it and have a few people with me. But, yeah, I’ll just be watching it with my family waiting for that day and waiting for that call.
When you do get drafted, Panini will get you on a card. Are you looking forward to that as a milestone and getting that first trading card?
Oh yeah, for sure. I’m definitely excited and I’m super glad we’ve been working together and everything they’ve been doing for me that we’ve been working together on, it’s been amazing, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.