Geno Stone ready for NFL Draft
After leaving Iowa a year early, Geno Stone looks forward to making his dream become a reality and that begins with the NFL Draft this week. We caught up with the 5-foot-10, 207-pound safety to discuss the draft process, how the pandemic affected things, what he would have liked to have shown at his pro day, where he is hearing he might be drafted, and much more.
Q: First, what has this whole process been like for you during the pandemic as you get ready for the NFL Draft and what have you been up to since we saw you at the NFL Combine?
STONE: It’s been a crazy process. After the combine, I went back to Iowa and trained for like a week and a half before they started cancelling everything and we couldn’t get into the school anymore. I just stayed at my house in Iowa City and tried to train as much as I could with the weights I had in my garage. I kept trying to find a field to get some work in, but every field I’d go to would end up getting closed down because schools were closing. So I kind of bounced back and forth everywhere, but now I’m finally back home and I’ve got somewhere to work out now.
Q: When did you actually head back home to Pennsylvania?
STONE: Just like three days ago.
Q: With NFL teams, have you been doing Zoom meetings and everything like that during this whole period too? What has that been like?
STONE: Yeah, I have. It’s different. I’d rather go visit a place and see it and get to be face to face with the coaches and everything like that. Now, it’s where you have a coach up on your screen and they’re sharing their defense with you and trying to teach you that, so you can tell them what you’ve got to do and make your calls, or they’re watching your film and you’re telling them what you were doing there. So it’s a whole different process and you get kind of a different feel for things.
Q: What’s the strangest thing anyone asked you or any good stories like that through this whole process?
STONE: I really didn’t have any of those questions honestly. I heard a bunch of people had animal questions, but I really didn’t have any weird questions or ones that left me speechless.
Q: With your Pro Day being cancelled, what did you feel like you wanted to show scouts there that you didn’t get to maybe?
STONE: I just wanted to show them everything that I can do. I had an injury at the combine, so that affected my numbers and how I performed on the field. That’s something I really wanted to show all the coaches, just that my numbers were going to be different and I was going to look different in person when I’m healthy. That was something I was looking forward to, but my agent did a good job of making a video and giving it to teams, so I think I did as much as I could with all of that stuff.
Q: So you sent teams a video of you doing drills and testing and everything?
STONE: It was mainly just drills and things like that.
Q: With your forty time (4.62) at the combine, people focus on that a little too much probably, but what were you hoping to run either there or at your pro day?
STONE: I was trying to get somewhere in the 4.5 area. I know I can, but the injury that I had prevented me from doing that. I tried to push through as much as I could and did everything because I never want to sit out, that’s just the competitiveness I have. Regardless of whether I’m hurt or not, I always want to go out there and compete.
Q: What was that injury?
STONE: It was my hip flexor and my groin.
Q: Overall, what are you hearing right now with the draft just a few days away now?
STONE: I’m hearing a lot of things, so I don’t know what to believe. I keep hearing mid-round, but really that could be anywhere. Depending on how the draft goes, you can fall or you can rise. So it’s just a waiting process and we’ll see how everything plays out.
Q: What are your plans for draft day?
STONE: I’m just going to sit at my house with a couple family members, nothing too big, and just wait for my name to be called. I’m not going to have a big party because of the whole social distancing rules and everything like that.
Q: Were you a guy that always watched the draft growing up?
STONE: Yeah, I did. I always watched the draft just to see people that I liked to watch in college and things like that. Then the past couple years, I got to play against people that were in the draft so watching it started becoming a little more realistic to me. Now, for me just to be in it feels crazy.
Q: When you are making your own sales pitch, what do you think you can bring to the table for a team looking to draft you?
STONE: I just tell them you are getting a good, dependable player that you don’t have to worry about on or off the field. A young kid who left college early, but has matured a lot and has a bunch of value to a team because I can play on special teams or wherever they want on defense. That’s kind of my sales pitch that I tell them. I hate when people try to say I’m lacking athleticism or anything like that because you can just turn on the film and see that’s not a problem.
Q: Does talk like that kind of flashback to your recruiting when you were getting overlooked a bit too?
STONE: Yeah, definitely. It’s been happening my whole life, but it’s good motivation. Everyone is always trying to say that I can’t do this or that, but here I am. I just keep proving people wrong.
Q: Going back to your decision to leave college a year early, what kind of tipped the scales that led you to make the jump to the NFL versus coming back for another year?
STONE: There was a point in time where I was thinking I’m definitely coming back to school, but I sat down with a bunch of people that have been mentors to me and we just weighed out all of my options. To me, there was a big difference. If I would have gone back, I could risk injury or risk having less ball production because teams aren’t going to come my way. That’s what kind of happened last season is my ball production went down because I was the veteran out there. I didn’t want to risk that and have my stock fall or anything like that. Really, at the end of the day, it was just me wanting to go to the NFL to compete with the best in the world. I felt like I was ready and that’s why I made the decision.
Q: Last question, for Iowa fans, who should they be looking out for to take over in the defensive backfield with you and Ojemudia moving on?
STONE: Honestly, that’s a good question. I’m ready to see what all the young guys are going to do this upcoming year and who is going to fill those spots. Whoever goes and competes the hardest and wants it the most is going to get it.