Change typically brings two possible outcomes – adapt or be left behind. Derwin Gray, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ final selection of the 2019 NFL Draft, has no plans to be left behind. Gray has been approached with the possibility of switching from his usual left tackle position to guard throughout the pre-draft process and he has been more than just open to the switch.
“I’m very confident in my ability that I can play anywhere on the line of scrimmage. It really doesn’t matter. A lot of teams just want to know if I’m willing to play different spots. They really need a solid guard that can hold it down, so I want to go in and get the job done,” Gray tells Jonas Shaffer.
Players with back to back Honorable All Big-Ten selections and 25 career starts are not usually the ones asked to make a positional switch but Gray seeks the challenge with full confidence. Many would crawl in their boots at the challenge at hand but the former Maryland offensive lineman is only concerned with doing what he has to do to help his team win.
“Wherever I’m needed to play at to get the job done and win championships. That’s what I’m going to do,” Gray tells Shaffer.
Gray’s pledge to winning football by any means necessary makes him a natural fit for the Steelers as they hope to repair the team dynamics in their locker room. While the Steelers’ offensive line can be described as a family-like unit, Gray’s commitment to winning comes from his own familial desire.
The former Maryland offensive lineman will enter the NFL with the likes of his one-year daughter Kali by his side. Gray vows to do whatever it takes to preserve the best future possible for his daughter, as he tells Glenn Clark Radio.
“That’s my biggest motivation, man, knowing I have a mouth to feed, I just try to make sure I put a smile on my daughter’s face even though she doesn’t really know what’s going on every day. That would be my biggest, biggest goal is to make sure my daughter doesn’t have to worry about nothing a day in her life. I’ll break my ankles, whatever the case might be, that’s for her, whatever the case might be. That’s my motivation every day.”
His daughter is not the only person that Gray plans to help with his football career. He also plans to use his football career to help those from his hometown of Washington, D.C.
“You get to choose what you want to do with the glory you get, whether to help other guys out with it or be selfish, and I choose to use my voice and my actions and my platform to help others back home in D.C. and all the other people around me, man. That’s pretty much my goal.”
With his daughter and his hometown in mind, Gray has no plans for letting a possible positional change deter his football dreams. Now a member of the Steelers, the offensive lineman is going to give his all wherever he is needed to play.
