Every NFL team needs quality depth at corner to hang with the league’s explosive passing attacks, and that means finding gems in the later rounds of the draft.

For teams looking for bargains in this year’s class, Boston College’s Hamp Cheevers has all the traits of a successful cover man.

A tough, hard-working playmaker, Cheevers recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about the important lessons he learned being raised by a single mother, which pro quarterback he can’t wait to intercept, and what kind of skill set he brings to the next level.

JM: What was your experience like at the combine?

HC: It was a great experience. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Not everyone that plays college football or even in the NFL for that matter gets invited to the combine. It was a very exciting week for me. I enjoyed being in that setting.

JM: What do you feel is the lasting impression you left out there?

HC: Teams were able to interact with me and get to know me on a personal level. It was a great opportunity in that sense. It wasn’t just about football. It gave them a firsthand look into me and who I am as a person. Everybody can look at me and see a football player, but it’s about looking beyond that. They got to ask about who I am, the things I like and where I grew up. Things of that nature.

JM: Did you have a lot of formal or informal meetings out there?

HC: Yeah, I had a solid mixture of both. I spoke with a ton of teams out there.

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

HC: I had a couple of questions about how I feel my veteran teammates should treat me. How would I respond if they ask me to carry their pads in from practice. Just stuff like that.

JM: You mentioned the combine giving you a chance to talk about yourself beyond football. Who is Hamp Cheevers?

HC: I described myself as a hard-working guy who was built off being raised by a single mother. I talked about what that taught me. I talked about the environment I grew up in. That pretty much sums up who I am outside of football.

JM: Can you expand on what the single-parent situation did for you?

HC: It really teaches you something about hard work. That’s life at the end of the day. I talked about how hard I’ve worked to reach the point in my life I’m at today. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to get to the combine and to be on the verge of potentially playing in the NFL. The environment I was raised in, not too many people make it to college, let alone have the opportunity to play college football. I did what I had to do to get the results I needed. My mother taught me that by working so hard. I’m trying to make her proud.

JM: Playing at Boston College afforded you the opportunity to play against some great players. Who are some of the best receivers you’ve gone up against?

HC: Kelvin Harmon immediately jumps out at me. He’s a great receiver. We had a good battle. Greg Dortch was pretty good as well. Rondale Moore from Purdue was pretty good. Clemson has multiple great receivers when we played them. You play against some great receivers when you play in the ACC.

JM: What was it like playing for Coach Campanile, and what is Boston College losing in him?

HC: He’s one of the greatest coaches you can ever hope to play for. He’s gonna get everything out of you. He cares about you. He cares about football, but he really cares about his players. He loved each and every one of us. It didn’t matter if you were a starter or a backup. He paid the same amount of attention to everyone. He always showed that he cared about you. He pushes you hard. He treated everybody the same. He doesn’t coach up one guy at a time. If he’s coaching somebody up and you’re in the vicinity, you better be paying attention, because he’s coaching you up, as well (laughs).

He shows a tremendous amount of passion for what he does. He’s a great role model to be around. He helps you understand the simple details of football. Of course you’re a good athlete if you’re playing at Boston College, but football is a detail oriented game and coach Campanile understands all the details. He instilled that into every single one of us.

JM: Is there an NFL quarterback that you’d love to pick off?

HC: It would definitely be Aaron Rodgers. I like that dude a lot. He’s a great quarterback. I’ve looked up to him for a long time. I respect him. I’ve watched him make so many crazy comebacks. I love the way he plays the game. That game against the Chicago Bears last year was crazy. He came back on one leg and lead an incredible comeback. He always shows up ready to perform. I feel like going up against him would be a great challenge for me. That’s something that I would look forward to.

JM: What kind of impact is Hamp Cheevers going to make at the next level?

HC: Hamp Cheevers is gonna make a great impact. I’ve always been an underdog in every aspect of the word. I’ve always proved that I belong and can compete with the best of them. I feel like there’s gonna be a lot of excitement surrounding my name. There’s gonna be a lot of plays being made. I’m gonna do whatever my coaches need me to do.