Mario Edwards Jr. has a chip on his shoulder with the Raiders
Mario Edwards Jr. showed up to Raiders rookie minicamp at a lean 277 pounds.
The rookie defensive end out of Florida State hopes that'll quiet his distractors, who, during the pre-draft process, criticized his conditioning and motor.
“There is a chip on my shoulder from just naysayers or people that criticize me so much,” Edwards told CSN Bay Area. “Really, just I want to prove myself."
It's promising that Edwards Jr. has that mindset already. He was a former five-star recruit who won a National Championship as a Seminole, but failed to post the kind of sack totals that come with his high pedigree.
Now a Raider, Edwards Jr. received some solid advice from Edwards Sr., who also starred in Tallahassee during his college playing days.
“He said that this is no longer a scholarship situation. You don’t have four years,” Edwards said. “This is your job. You don’t have school, so there is no excuses why you can’t know the plays and everything like that, so approach it as a job and it’s an opportunity to be here.”