Patriots OL - Chasen Hines – 2022 Draft, Pick 210
Conference Call
April 30, 2022
Q: How did it unfold when you learned you were a draft pick?
CH: I was literally just hanging with my family. I want to say like 30 minutes before, my agent called me and was telling me to 'keep my head up, you might still get picked, there's still a chance.' Me and my family, after that we said a long prayer and then like 20, 30 minutes later I got the call.
Q: Were you thinking that it might not happen?
CH: It was a possibility. Just watching the draft go by just knowing that everybody can't get drafted and just knowing I could be one of those guys, but it's a blessing having Coach Belichick and the staff believe in me. So, I can't wait to get ready to get to work.
Q: Kevin Faulk is a Patriot legend and he obviously is from LSU. Tell us about your connection with Kevin and if you've had a chance to sort of connect with him since you learned you're coming to his team?
CH: Me and Coach Faulk [inaudible] been strong since really the first day I arrived on campus. Just really seeing him and knowing who he played with, what he did there, knowing he's a Patriot Hall-of-Famer, you always want to learn from him, always pick his brain just to see because he's one of the greats. But now to know that I'm going to his team, I'm going to try to carry that load for him.
Q: What do you want Patriots fans to know about you as a player and a person?
CH: You're going to get a hardworking guy. Just coming to LSU as a defensive lineman knowing that I had to make a position change and knowing the work I had to put in just to get to that, to even be here now -- really a humble guy. Like I said, I was excepting to start thinking about undrafted options and stuff like that. But just know you're going to get a humble guy, a hardworking person. A quiet person, but always who's really just a hard worker. That's the only thing I've really been known about throughout high school, and college, is somebody who doesn't really talk too much, he's just always going to show you with his work. So I can't wait to show New England what I got.
Q: And New England loves that. They also love versatility; I know you played a little bit of both guard spots in college: how comfortable are you with that and do you expect to be moved around the offensive line in the NFL?
CH: In college I played all inside three: left guard, center, right guard, so it's never been a choice of mine, kind of just whatever I can do best for the team and put them in the best position to win, so it's just been at guard most of the time, so that's why I stuck it out. It really doesn't matter to me, as long as I'm doing what I can do to help contribute and win and stuff like that. That's all I really do -- left, right, or center. It really doesn't matter to me.
Q: What was your contact like with the Patriots in the pre-draft process?
CH: I had really just a formal with them at the combine and stuff like that. Nothing major, I guess it was the interview and everything that goes into that process. But yeah, just a normal formal interview with the Patriots at the combine, that was really it.
Q: How much are you aware of the Patriots history on the offensive line and have there been any offensive line that have been in New England that you've looked up to?
CH: As a youngster I really didn't know too much about the line, I was just a Tom Brady fan to death, really. But as I got older, started learning the position, guys like Shaq Mason I used to watch in high school a lot and then in my early days of college at that right guard position just seeing how we kind of had that same similar build, and how strong he was and how he played -- that was one of the players I watched early in college.
Q: Did I read correctly that you played baseball growing up?
CH: Yes, sir. That was really my dream primary sport.
Q: What lead you to transition to football and how long did you stick with baseball?
CH: Baseball really was the thing for me since I was like five all the way, I wanna say to like my sophomore year in high school. That was the thing I did every year, the travel league and stuff like that. Really, as I got bigger, I want to say like 10th grade, I really started to get my size and stuff like that. And I've always been a fan of football just because my brother played and everybody I knew played so, I always had fun with playing the game itself, but as I got bigger and stronger, I started to notice, I really can make something out of this. So it's really more of a business decision early, at 16, you know, like 'this is what I need to focus on, this is where I can hopefully someday be in the position I am now.'
Q: What kind of baseball player were you? What position did you play and who would you compare your baseball game to?
SR: So, the funny part is my primary number -- I wore 34. Growing up I was called 'Big Papa' just because I was one of the biggest kids on the team and I batted fourth like he did. So I'd say David Ortiz. I wore 34, and he was really the main reason why. I always loved baseball and always had a passion for it, just really just watching him.
Q: I wanted to ask you about your experiences at Senior Bowl and how much you thought that helped you with the pre-draft process, and do you have any memories of playing alongside Cole Strange in that game?
SR: So really, at the Senior Bowl I got the late invite, so my main thing was to show that 'he's always ready' no matter what adversity -- came late. I really didn't want to make that as an excuse. I wanted to show that, I'm here for limited days on a short notice, let me try to make the most out of it. Just having that experience, I still have another dream to work on my list but being a part of the Senior Bowl I was still blessed to play in that game and with Cole -- I want to say Cole was one of the first players I ever met when I first came, like on my team. Off the bat introduced himself, real cool guy, and I could tell off the bat that he was a smart guy, saw how he was in meetings, post-practice. Just watching him, I was like I can tell he's one of those guys that -- he prepares, he does everything the right way. Just really observing him from the side just knowing that, okay, he's a pro. It's not something he just started doing, it's something he's been doing. So, just having that confidence, and knowing that I'm going be beside somebody that knows the how to ball just like me. It's a great feeling.
