NFL prospects are asked some extremely bizarre questions during interviews with potential future employers every year, and Ohio State linebacker Jerome Baker said he gained some first-hand experience with that while meeting with pro teams in recent weeks.
During an interview with Justin Melo of USA Today, Baker was asked to reveal the strangest question an NFL coach asked him. He got a pretty good one.
“I didn’t have any really weird questions. The one question that sticks out is I sat down, and the first thing the coach asked me is what I would do if he punched me in the face right now?” Baker recalled. “To me, being from Cleveland, my natural reaction was, ‘Coach, no disrespect but if you punch me in the face, we’re gonna fight right here.’ That was just my natural response. I guess that’s what he wanted to hear, because he said, ‘Good.’ It was definitely a fun interview. I didn’t get asked too many weird questions.”
Baker was fortunate that he considers his experience a positive one. As we know, at least one prospect was asked a completely inappropriate question at the NFL Scouting Combine, and the league has since condemned it.
Baker said the coach who asked the question wanted to hear that he would fight back.
“He said most guys freeze up or say they wouldn’t do anything when he asks them that,” he added. “He said, ‘I don’t know about you, but if somebody were to randomly punch me in the face right now, I wouldn’t just stand there. I’d fight back.’ I guess he liked my response (laughs).”
If we’ve learned anything about interviews between NFL teams and future draftees, it’s to always expect the unexpected.
