The NFL draft always churns out a handful of impact players from smaller programs, and Colorado State wide receiver Michael Gallup should already have the attention of pro scouts across the league.

After a huge 2016 campaign, Gallup is picking up where he left off in 2017, topping 100 yards four times, including a pair of 200-yard performances.

Gallup recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about making the jump from the junior college ranks, why he came back for his senior season, and which NFL receivers he models his game after.

JM: You put up some big numbers last season (76-1,272-14). Why did you return for your senior season?

MG: I probably wouldn’t have even been drafted last season. To be honest, nobody even knew my name. I wanted to come back here to earn my degree as well. It came down to those two reasons for me.

JM: In returning, you gave yourself one final opportunity to refine your game and to pop up on the draft radar of teams around the league. What are some areas of your game you’re focusing on improving?

MG: I need to become a better all-around football player. I believe that I do a nice job catching the football. I’m a good route runner. Right now, I don’t block as well as I need to. I don’t see coverages as well as I need to. Getting this extra year up under my belt will help me improve in those areas I’m still raw in.

In one of the more impressive receiving performances of 2017 to date, Colorado State WR Michael Gallup was unstoppable against Nevada. pic.twitter.com/JBuTmQRVVN — PFF College Football (@PFF_College) October 15, 2017

JM: How can you begin seeing coverages better? Is that a film thing for you?

MG: Yeah, that’s just a studying film thing. I came to CSU from the JUCO level, and we didn’t even know what film was. I come here, and we watch film more than we do anything else. That was a big transition for me. I had to get used to that. Knowing what defenses are trying to do with their schemes and stuff like that, there’s a learning curve to all that when you come from JUCO.

JM: Was going from Butler Community College to CSU a big culture shock for you?

MG: There’s not a track around the field here like there always is at JUCO [laughs]. It wasn’t too big of a culture shock. I was pretty much expecting it to be this way. I took the scenic route to get where I am today. I should have gone D-I out of high school but I didn’t have the grades to support that. Coming up here to CSU? No, it wasn’t that big of a culture shock. The speed of the game was a little bit different but that wasn’t difficult for me to adjust to.

JM: You mentioned you didn’t have the grades to attend a bigger program right out of high school. You certainly had the talent. What has your journey to CSU taught you about hard work?

MG: You gotta keep your nose to the grind all the time. At the JUCO level, they’re not trying to teach you about hard work. You kinda have to understand that yourself because nobody is gonna help you get there. You have to develop hard work inside yourself and then bring it with you at every stop along the way. If you bring that JUCO stuff to the D-I level, they’re not even gonna let you play. They won’t want you here, period. I had to know that and learn it on my own while at JUCO. You have to come up here and do what you’re supposed to do.

JM: What’s the biggest change from JUCO to D-I?

MG: Probably the speed of the game. Obviously, there’s a bunch of great players that come from the JUCO level. The speed of the game is an adjustment. Playing in front of much larger crowds makes for a different atmosphere. That has a lot do with getting acclimated with D-I. Hearing a crowd for the first time will change your life. You just have to get used to all these factors. Everything makes for a different atmosphere on the field.

JM: You grew up in the small town of Monroe, Georgia. You were adopted at ten months old and grew up with 7 multi-cultural siblings, 5 of which were also adopted. What kind of character traits did that instill in you at a young age?

MG: I learned that everybody deserves to be treated the same. Everybody deserves respect. Growing up, I didn’t know what color was. I thought it was just normal. I think that humbled me a little bit. You see people that don’t act the same towards certain people. My mom is white, so I always thought I had the upper hand compared to anybody else. I love that family. I think it was great for me in the long run.

JM: You were a multi-sport athlete in high school. You played some baseball, some track & field, and basketball. What ultimately lead you to stick with football over the other sports?

MG: I played basketball just because I could do it. It was the same thing with baseball and track. I could do it and I excelled at it, but football just came so much easier to me. I’ll admit it, I was a lazy kid in high school. I didn’t want to train. I found that football came so easy to me. I didn’t really have to train for it.

JM: Which other receivers did you look to model your game after?

MG: I’d like to say Julio Jones [laughs]. That’s a big dog right there. I just love his game, man. He goes up and gets the ball, he’ll run you over, and he’s got some speed to his game as well. He’s the total package.

JM: What are the most important traits a wide receiver must possess in order to be come elite?

MG: I believe the first one is route running. I don’t care what anybody says, if you can’t get any separation, the quarterback is never going to throw you the ball. If you’re locked up in coverage the whole time, you’re never gonna see the ball. The first trait a receiver must possess is the ability to gain separation in his route running. Obviously the second thing is catching the ball. If you catch the ball every time, the quarterback is gonna keep looking your way. Those are my two biggest things.

JM: You’ve got some ability after the catch, as well. I’ve noticed your spin move, especially. How did you develop your moves after the catch?

MG: I never even used a spin move in high school. I’m glad that you’ve noticed it, though [laughs]. The only reason I use it now is because a lot of people like to hit me high, to be honest. I don’t even really think about it like that.

JM: You averaged 16.7 yards per catch last season, which proves your ability to make plays after the catch. What is it about you that makes you so elusive?

MG: I take that personally. I don’t like anybody being able to make a highlight tape off me. I don’t like when one person tackles me. That’s just a mindset for me. It should take three or four guys to take me down. If one guy can take me down, I’m doing something wrong. You’re not gonna make a highlight tape off me. I don’t like that. I’m gonna make a highlight tape off you. It’s gonna take at least a couple of dudes to bring me down.

JM: Say you have a defensive back in man coverage. Do you have a favorite route or go to move that you’re using to beat him?

MG: I’m just gonna take off on you. The quarterback can either throw a back shoulder throw if I don’t beat him off the line, or he can throw it over the top if I do beat him. I believe you can go all the way downfield. I’m just gonna take off. It’s hard for a DB to cover the back shoulder throw. If I beat him over the top, that’s a touchdown. I’ll just run straight.

JM: Would you rather have a 70-yard touchdown catch or chip away at a defense by making four or five catches on a long drive?

MG: I’d rather have four or five catches. The 70-yard touchdown catch is great, but racking up a few catches on each drive proves that you’re a sure-handed receiver. 70 yards is always good, though. I’ll never complain about that [laughs].

JM: Going back to CSU, how do you think playing in their system helps get you ready for the next level?

MG: One of the main reasons I came to CSU is because on my official visit, coach [Mike] Bobo said that he was gonna put me where he put A.J. Green. I grew up watching A.J. Green. A.J. Green is a dog. Coach Bobo put me in that position. He wasn’t lying about that. I do my job by catching the balls thrown at me. I feel like CSU put me in the best position to win, to be honest.

JM: You’re not the first receiver to come through CSU with NFL aspirations. Rashard Higgins was a big-time player for you guys, and he’s starting to come along with the Cleveland Browns. Do you think you can break any of his school records?

MG: Hollywood [Higgins] is a dog [laughs]. He tore this conference up. I don’t know if I can catch any of his records, man. We’re always striving for greatness. Higgins texts me just about before every game. He’s always telling me to get at least two touchdowns. He motivates me by challenging me. He’ll text me right before a game and say, “I bet you can’t do this or that.” He’s a good dude, man. I’ve always looked up to him. I’m chasing his records.

JM: What can fans expect from Michael Gallup and the Rams as we hit the second half of the 2017 season?

MG: We’re gonna win the conference. That’s all they need to know.