Khalil Mack. Marcus Davenport. Ezekiel Ansah.

In recent years, the amount of Group of 5 edge rushers to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft is relatively minuscule. However, save for Davenport, who has been impressive in his rookie season, the ones that have been picked made a big impact at the next level.

If Old Dominion’s Oshane Ximines has anything to say about it, he’ll be the next player to join those ranks.

Ximines, a 6-3, 247-pound defensive end, has had an illustrious collegiate career with the Monarchs. The school’s all-time leader in sacks and forced fumbles, he has been a reliable force off the edge since his redshirt freshman year in 2015. He figures to be the first player in the school’s history to be drafted in the NFL, but for now, he remains focused on the rest of his season.

Draft Wire had the chance to talk to Ximines about his work ethic, his six-sack game in high school, Old Dominion’s upset win against Virginia Tech and much more.

JI: One of the most notable traits I’ve noticed in your game is your quick hands. How do you work on maintaining quick hand movements and sharp reflexes?

OX: Just be working every single day in practice. We got drills where we just sit there [and] work on our hands with our eyes closed. If somebody touches you, you just gotta react. Just doing that every day, that’s what maintains the quickness of my hands.

JI: In the past, you’ve mentioned your mom as a driving force for your work ethic. What about her makes you want to succeed so much?

OX: I saw her firsthand work hard and better herself, so I have this moving force to follow in her footsteps and work hard at whatever I do so I could succeed just like she did. I feel like I owe that to her because she did a lot for me when I was growing up, and everything that she tells me has been true, so I just believe that hard work will always get you where you need to be.

JI: Have you thought about anything that you’d get for her when you finally get that NFL contract?

OX: I mean, hopefully I can get her whatever she asks for. Just anything. Hopefully nothing buffoonish.

Who wants to line up across from @ODUFootball's Oshane Ximines? 😳#1️⃣ in total sacks#3️⃣ in sacks per game#4️⃣ in total sack yards#TheCUSAWay pic.twitter.com/rr9MVDR7mi — Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) October 19, 2018

JI: You once recorded six sacks in a single game in high school, is that right?

OX: [laughs] Yeah, I did.

JI: What went right in that game? Was there anything different going through your mind on that day?

OX: Man, that was so long ago. The team we were playing against, they were an option team, and their quarterback was their best player, so most of the time he would keep the ball. [laughs] It wasn’t hard to follow that the quarterback was gonna have the ball. He [was] gonna run off the read a lot of the time, so I just made the plays.

JI: What would you say is the most important part of being an edge rusher?

OX: It’s definitely speed. [You] gotta get off the ball fast. That just opens up everything in your game. If you set the edge, it helps you out on your counter moves, it helps your hands move freely, you can react faster. Speed just opens up everything.

JI: What’s the first thing that you look for when you fire off the snap?

OX: I like to see color. If I fire off the ball vertically and I don’t see any colors, I tend to try to work a speed rush off the edge. If I fire off the ball quickly and I do see color, I try to take a few steps up the field and work a counter move that gets [to the quarterback].

How would you describe @ODUFootball's Oshane Ximines? 🤔 Don't forget to tune in to ODU 🆚 FAU at 4 pm CT / 5 pm ET on @WatchStadium! pic.twitter.com/uG2argB92c — Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) October 6, 2018

JI: Let’s go back to that win against Virginia Tech. How different was your mindset in that game compared to a regular conference game?

OX: My mindset for that game was different because we were 0-3. I felt like our backs were completely against the wall, you know, an 0-3 team going up against the No. 13 team in the country. Virginia Tech’s a good team, so I just felt like I had no other option but to go out there and perform to my highest ability, not only for myself but for my teammates and the coaches. That was basically my mindset leading up to the game against Virginia Tech. It was a little more intensified for Virginia Tech, being that we were 0-3 leading into the game.

JI: [Virginia Tech edge rusher] Trevon Hill retweeted your stats after the game. How did that all go down? Was there any kind of interaction before or after that?

OX: Me and Trevon, we’re cool, man. We’re friends. He’s from the [Virginia] area, so when he comes home we kick it. We run into each other, whenever we’re at some kind of event or some kind of outing, we always say what’s up to each other. It’s always love when we see each other, so that’s my boy.

JI: Are there any more players on other teams that you have that kind of connection with?

OX: I’m also cool with [Virginia Tech wide receiver] Phil Patterson. I run into him, too. Me and defensive end Fermin Silva from FIU, we touch base a lot. We talk, saying, “Keep your head up, bro, keep grinding,” and stuff like that. I always show love to any players around the conference – or just in the NCAA, period – whatever I can do to just be a friend and help out. We’re all going through the same thing right now. Until we’re on the field against each other, then it’s tough love [laughs]. Any other time, it’s nothing but love.

JI: Going back to that Virginia Tech game, when [Old Dominion running back] Jeremy Cox broke away for the game-sealing touchdown, what was your initial reaction?

OX: I think I just fell to my knees. I was just like, “Finally, man.” Not only just because we beat Virginia Tech, but we finally got the first win. Emotionally, I just kept telling myself, “This is a good football team. This is a good football team. This is a good football team. We’re gonna be good. We’re gonna work hard for this.” But when we finally saw it come together, it was just one of the best experiences I’ve had in my entire life. I had so much faith in the team, and to see it come together, I just couldn’t take the rush of emotion.

JI: Old Dominion’s a bit of a smaller program, but you’ve had the chance to play with some defensive linemen who can gone on to play in the NFL like [current Chicago Bear] Rashaad Coward and Bunmi Rotimi. What did you learn when you were able to play with those guys?

OX: Man, Rashaad. Rashaad’s a great dude. He’s one of those guys that’s always gonna want to come in and he’s gonna whoop ass every single play. Playing with Rashaad, it was a great learning experience. Having someone that physically dominant next to you [makes you want to play with] energy. And if you didn’t, Rashaad’s one of those guys who’s gonna get after you a little bit, so he definitely drew my work ethic up. Bunmi was always a guy who was working on different moves. Me and him, we used to go back and forth in practice, seeing who could pull off a different move. The reason I’ve just been trying a lot of different moves is because it started with Bunmi. He was one of the older guys, so just looking at him, trying a lot of pass-rushing moves every single day, I wanted to follow in his footsteps.

JI: What do you think about Rashaad’s move to offensive tackle?

OX: The first time I found out about it, I texted him a whole bunch of laughing emojis [laughs]. While he was here, we used to talk about it all the time. I was saying, “You should play O-line, bro,” and he used to give me a big smack, and was like, “Nah, I ain’t playing no o-line.” So when I found out that it finally happened, I had to hit him up. We laughed about it, but when it came up in the conversation, I said, “You do what you gotta do, bro, and show them why you’re one of the best,” and that’s what he’s been doing. I’m proud of that guy.

JI: Which player or players do you try to model your game after?

OX: That’s easy. Definitely Khalil Mack and Von Miller. I watch those guys, and I just try to move like them, I try to run like them. Khalil Mack, with his long arm, I try to position my body the way he does. And I’m not quite there yet, I got a long way to go before I get to his level, but I work every single day to get towards it, but man. He’s just a different kind of player. I try to make the kinds of plays for my team that they make for theirs. If I can get anywhere close to either one of those [guys], it’s gonna be hard.

JI: Outside of football, how do you like to spend your time?

OX: I pretty much just stay in the house and play video games with my friends, my roommates. We spend a lot of time together in a family environment in our apartment, so most of the time I spend time with them. If not, I’m going to some kind of event on campus or some volunteer work with my fraternity. That’s pretty much it.

JI: What’s your favorite video game that you guys like to play?

OX: Definitely [NBA] 2K19 right now. We’re on that real heavy, it just came out.

JI: Who’s your go-to team to play with?

OX: Definitely the Celtics. I’m a Lakers fan, so it hurts me to say that, but the Celtics. They’ve got shooters, they can pass, so that’s my go-to team.

JI: Speaking of the Lakers, what did you think about LeBron James signing with them over the offseason?

OX: I mean, it was bittersweet, because there are gonna be a lot of new fans that I have to get along with that I’ve been arguing with for the past 20 years [laughs]. So having those fans on our bandwagon now, it kinda makes me mad, but we got LeBron, so we’re all good [laughs].

JI: Let’s say I’m a general manager in the NFL. What would I be getting if I drafted you to my team?

OX: You’re gonna get someone who’s going to come in to work every single day, no matter what. You’re gonna get someone that genuinely cares about football, and not just collecting a check. You’re gonna get someone that’s just completely outgoing for their teammates and a natural leader.