The 2024 Senior Bowl will provide an opportunity for NFL draft prospects to prove themselves on the largest pre-draft stage. North Carolina linebacker Cedric Gray plans on taking full advantage. Gray recently spoke exclusively with the Senior Bowl and Draft Network to discuss his motivation for accepting his invitation to compete in Mobile, Alabama.
Gray also discussed what he's striving to prove to NFL general managers and scouts in attendance at the Senior Bowl, playing the physical linebacker position, how he’d write his own scouting report, and more. Let's get to know Gray better ahead of his journey to the Senior Bowl.
JM: Where were you when you found out about your Senior Bowl invite and what was your initial reaction?
Cedric Gray: I was actually at the football facility in Chapel Hill. My linebackers coach Tommy Thigpen texted me and asked me to come to his office. I walked into the office and he was holding the invite in his hands (laughs). He handed me the Reese’s Senior Bowl box and congratulated me. It was a great moment.
JM: What motivated you to accept the Senior Bowl’s offer?
Cedric Gray: Everybody knows the stature and overall importance of the Senior Bowl. The game, the entire week really, is so important leading up to the preparation of the pre-draft process. The best prospects in the country play in the Senior Bowl. I wanted to place a box on my college career in a similar manner. It just made sense for me to accept the offer.
JM: What are you hoping to prove to NFL general managers, coaching staffs, and scouts in attendance in Mobile?
Cedric Gray: I’m looking to prove that I’m one of the best linebackers in the 2024 NFL Draft. I want to prove that whatever team drafts me is going to get a hard worker. I’m a player that always gives it everything I have. I always put my best foot forward on a daily basis.
I’m out to prove that I’m a smart football player. I believe I can compete alongside the best players in the nation. I want that to be evident throughout my week in Mobile.
JM: How would you describe your skill set in your own words? Self-scout yourself.
Cedric Gray: I always describe myself as a hybrid, versatile player. I think I’m pretty effective in the run game. I make stops as a run defender. I can run sideline to sideline. I have great speed and good size for the linebacker position.
I also think I have a different skill set in coverage. Being the athlete that I am, pairing that with the fact that I played receiver in high school, I understand how to play in coverage. I have the tips and tricks of the trade. That makes me a more effective player in coverage. I’m an all-around hybrid defender. That’s what I believe myself to be.
JM: Playing in coverage is so important in today’s league. If you had to compare yourself to a current NFL linebacker, who would you choose and why?
Cedric Gray: I’d probably pick two. I’d say my favorite linebacker is, and I think we’re a little comparable, is San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner. He’s thriving in the NFL right now. The way that he plays the position, his dominance over the game, it can’t be denied.
Another guy that I’ve become a big fan of this past season is Zaire Franklin of the Indianapolis Colts. He’s had a terrific season. I’ve paid close attention to him all year long.
JM: Those are two great players. You’ve recorded 100-plus tackles in three consecutive seasons. What is it about your game that allows you to always be around the ball?
Cedric Gray: I’d point to my ability to watch film and dissect the action. I understand what teams are doing and how they’re trying to attack us. I pay attention to formations and I understand what the tendencies are. I take that into account on a snap-by-snap basis. It allows me to react to the action around me faster.
I also pride myself on hustling to the ball. I pride myself on always being around the ball carrier. Back when I was playing little league, one of my coaches, and I’ll never forget this, he told me good things happen when you rally to the football. That’s proven to be true.
JM: You also depart North Carolina with 18 career pass breakups and five interceptions. I want to expand on what you said about being a versatile defender. Talk to me about the importance of playing in coverage in today’s pass-happy league.
Cedric Gray: You hit the nail on the head. The game is always changing. Offenses are spreading things out and going pass-happy nowadays. That’s also true of today’s offenses around college football. Everybody is evolving. The linebacker position had to evolve with it.
It’s not just about fitting the run anymore. You have to be able to cover athletic tight ends and slot receivers. We have to understand zone coverage drops. Sometimes, we might even have to play man coverage.
Knowing that and believing that I’m a great athlete, I’m a great fit to execute all of those things. It’s very important in today’s game.
JM: You understand what it takes. What’s on Cedric Gray’s pre-game playlist?
Cedric Gray: There’s a lot of stuff on there. I’ll say this about how those decisions get made. I wake up in the morning and listen to more calming music. All music that gets me excited, happy, and pumped up, the closer we get to game time, the music gets more explicit (laughs).
We get into some Rod Wave, he’s an early-in-the-morning kind of artist. Closer to the game, I get into some Chief Keef. That’s how I would describe my pre-game playlist.
JM: At the end of the week, what does a successful Senior Bowl look like for Cedric Gray?
Cedric Gray: It means everybody was impressed by what I did at the Senior Bowl, both as a person and player. I want to exit the Senior Bowl with general managers, coaches, and scouts having their eyes on me. I want them to believe that I can be a force in this league.
