Every year, there are a handful of prospects who force NFL decision-makers to do a deeper dive into their college film after blowing up the NFL Scouting Combine.

Minnesota linebacker Blake Cashman is one of those players in the 2019 draft class.

A complete player who backed up a solid career at Minnesota with a dominant combine performance in Indianapolis, Cashman recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about earning a scholarship, what he loves most about playing linebacker, and what kind of skill set he brings to the next level.

JM: It took you two years to earn a scholarship at the University of Minnesota. What was your reaction when you accomplished that goal?

BC: It was awesome to achieve one of my goals. I had all the confidence in the world that I would eventually earn that. I wouldn’t have ever walked on if I didn’t believe in myself. What made that moment so special was the love I felt from my teammates. They were so happy for me when my head coach announced that I was now on a scholarship. They jumped all over me and started screaming. We went out to celebrate as a team and had a really nice dinner together in downtown Minneapolis. It showed me how much my teammates cared about me. That’s what meant the most to me.

JM: What was your experience like at the NFL Scouting Combine?

BC: I had a great experience out there. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun meeting the best players around the nation. I got to learn a little bit about their process and pick their brains. It was great to take advantage of the time being there. I met with as many coaches and scouts as possible. You’re there to impress the teams and take full advantage of your time. I was very excited for that opportunity and I did everything I could to take advantage of that. I felt like everything went well at the end of the day from my testing to my interviews. I was very pleased with the outcome.

JM: You ran the 40 yard dash in 4.5 seconds and broad jumped 124 inches. Did you expect to perform as well as you did?

BC: I’m not gonna lie to you. Yeah, I did. I’ve been working hard these past couple of months. I knew I would do well based off the work I had been doing with my trainers. I felt very good going into it. Some of my numbers did surprise me a little though. I knew going in that I was gonna jump over a 10″ broad and I felt like I would run under 4.6 in the 40 yard dash. I didn’t exactly what the numbers would be but I had a lot of confidence going into it all.

JM: Have you noticed an increase in the attention you’re getting since you put up those numbers?

BC: I absolutely have. I think people are going back to look at my film after my performance at the combine. I think even some people who maybe hadn’t looked at my film at all are doing that. It’s a new opportunity for me. It’s good to see. It’s always good to have some positive media buzz surrounding your name, especially on social media as we get closer to the draft here.

JM: What was the strangest question you were asked at the combine?

BC: I was actually very surprised that I didn’t get asked any strange questions. I know some people that did. What I really noticed was that the coaches love to test you a little bit. We’re really busy running around and doing different things the entire day. You’re talking to all kinds of people and the coaches love meeting with you. Your schedule is really jam-packed and you have to rush over to every meeting as fast as you can. You may be a little late to some of the informal interviews and they try to get under your skin a little bit. You just have to keep your composure and act like a professional. I had a couple of teams put on film of some of my plays. Some really good plays and some plays that I’d love to have back. They wanted to question me on the bad plays and get at me a little bit. It’s all about gauging your reaction.

JM: You’ve mentioned quite a bit about your meetings. Did you meet with a lot of teams at the combine?

BC: I had a lot of informal meetings and interviews. I met with basically every team. I thought all of my interviews went really well. I walked away from them feeling pretty good. Hopefully that helps me out on draft weekend. Football is obviously the profession I’m pursuing. It’s important to be a great football player but you also have to be a good person and somebody that a team would want to have in their locker room. The interviews are an important aspect of this process.

JM: Do you have any private visits or workouts lined up yet?

BC: I have a few workouts scheduled. One with the Tennessee Titans and another with the New Orleans Saints. I believe I’ll be going to visit the Minnesota Vikings facilities as a local visit sometime in early April.

JM: What’s your favorite part about playing linebacker?

BC: That’s a great question. If you know what you’re doing out there and you’ve done a good job preparing yourself throughout the week, it’s a whole lot of fun. You’re the second wave of the defense and you can easily find gaps in the offensive line if you have good vision. It’s about being able to sift through the offensive line and find where the gaps are. That’s what I most enjoy about being a linebacker.

JM: Who are some of the best offensive players you’ve competed against?

BC: Dwayne Haskins definitely stood out to me this past season. He’s a great player. I think he has all the tools to be a great quarterback at the next level. Ohio State had a couple of great receivers as well. They were extremely fast. Jonathan Taylor, the running back for Wisconsin is a stud. Honestly that entire offensive line for Wisconsin were big and physical. Those guys are some great football players. I’ve played against Saquon Barkley, as well. That was during my sophomore year. We played at Penn State and he obviously had a tremendous career there. He was unbelievable as a rookie as well. Those are the names that stand out to me.

JM: What kind of a guy is a team getting when they draft Blake Cashman?

BC: They’re gonna get somebody that’s gonna come in and work harder than anyone else there. I don’t say or take that lightly. I know what it took to get myself into this position. It’s taken a lot of hard work and dedication. It’s just part of the journey of being a walk-on. On top of that, I’m somebody who believes that football games are won during the week. They’re won in the film room and they’re won when you prepare right. It’s one of the most important factors of the game. I spend a lot of time in the meeting rooms to make sure I fully understand the defensive scheme and what our plan of attack is. I can help a team at the linebacker spot. I have good speed, I can cover the field sideline-to-sideline. I’m a very versatile player. Whether it’s on special teams or all 3 downs, you can play me in blitz packages and so on. There’s a lot of areas that I can help a team in.