Patrick Eby
Long Snapper
Columbia
Alex Khvatov: What are your measurements (height, weight and forty time)?
Patrick Eby: I am 6’3, 230 and I haven’t run a 40 time in a while. The last one was before the season and I ran a 4.93.
Alex Khvatov: Where are you currently training for the NFL Draft?
Patrick Eby: I am training at my University with my strength coach.
Alex Khvatov: When is your Pro Day?
Patrick Eby: On March 14th at Columbia.
Alex Khvatov: Describe your overall experience at the NFLPA Bowl.
Patrick Eby: It was a great experience. We had former NFL players and coaches there. I realized how to conduct myself as a professional, how to train and practice. It was a good insight into the whole process and what is expected of us. I built a lot of relationships with current players. We formed a camaraderie. I have more of a support system now going into this process. The game itself and the scouts being there. We were on national TV. I liked the added pressure. It was a great stepping stone from the D-I game to an actual NFL game. I am thankful for the opportunity.
Alex Khvatov: What is the biggest thing that you will take away from the all-star game?
Patrick Eby: The biggest thing I took away was the mindset required to be a professional. The jump from college to the NFL is huge. 90% of the game is mental. I realized how to mentally train for the next level.
Alex Khvatov: Coming out of high school, what programs showed interest in you?
Patrick Eby: During my junior year of high school, I realized that I had the potential to play in college. I went to a kicking camp and I finished in the top two at my position. I got invited to a national kicking camp. After the camp, they ranked me as the No. 4 long snapper nationally coming out of high school. It was my big selling point. Big time schools were heavily recruiting me. Nebraska, Oklahoma and Purdue were after me. But I didn’t think that I would fit in with a big-time college program. I wanted to get a great degree and I realized that the NFL is a long shot. I wanted to go to Stanford. They took a long snapper the year before and the year after me. I pursued Ivy League teams. I had a verbal commitment with Princeton, but they dropped me. They saved a spot for another position. They had a TE that could snap. I thought that I would go to William & Mary and walk-on there.
Alex Khvatov: Why did you choose Columbia?
Patrick Eby: In December of my senior year, my coach sent out a list of schools. I noticed that Columbia was looking for a long snapper. I contacted them. A month later, I went on an official visit, and they offered me.
Alex Khvatov: What are your strengths?
Patrick Eby: I am fast for a long snapper. At this level, I use my speed to get past everybody. I am explosive coming off the ball. I am able to engage the blocker and shed the block quickly. I am very strong.
Alex Khvatov: What areas of your game are you trying to improve upon?
Patrick Eby: I am trying to improve my transition from snapping to blocking. It can be a lot smoother. I am trying to get my weight up to 235 pounds. I am also preparing myself for these run tests.
Alex Khvatov: Describe your overall career.
Patrick Eby: I was third on the depth chart my first practice of my freshman year. I threw back a couple of snaps before practice and I have been a starting long snapper ever since. I started for four years and played in all 40 games. I had roughly 250 – 275 total snaps. I ended up first team All-American and first team All-Ivy. Our old coach was fired for being abusive to the team. Coach Bagnoli brought his staff here from Penn. We didn’t have a good program. During my first year, we went 2-8 and 3-7 the second year. We were rebuilding. We were getting stronger and faster. We were getting rid of the toxic culture from the previous regime. We went 8-2 during my junior year. We were one tackle away from beating Harvard and being co-champs. Last year, we went 6-4. My senior class is the first class since 1961-1962 to have back-to-back winning seasons at Columbia.
Alex Khvatov: What is the highlight of your career up to this point?
Patrick Eby: It would have to be the game against Penn my junior. We were getting smoked by Penn. Everyone expected it. They were killing us at halftime. We came back. It was our homecoming game. It was a crazy turnout. We had 20 or 21 thousand people at the stadium. We were in overtime, and Penn got the ball, but they failed to score. We were marching downfield. Our star WR ran a post route and caught the TD. The whole stadium stormed the field. I have never been more excited in my life.
Alex Khvatov: What have you learned the most from your coaching staff?
Patrick Eby: Pushing through adversity. Being mentally strong. The mental side was tricky to me at first. During your freshman year, you are adjusting to football and academics at an Ivy League. You are getting used to college life in general. Our coaches have instilled the mentality of finding a way to get through it.
Alex Khvatov: What is your favorite NFL team?
Patrick Eby: Baltimore Ravens. I am born and raised in Baltimore.
Alex Khvatov: Who is your favorite NFL player?
Patrick Eby: Right now, it would be Lamar Jackson. He took over for Flacco, and it was fun to watch. His style of play is different than anybody else. He is entertaining with his playmaking ability and his crazy runs.
Alex Khvatov: What is the most important trait for a LS?
Patrick Eby: Maintaining focus. Our job is much more technical and detail-oriented. Actual act of long snapping, details to keep in mind in the back of your mind and make adjustments on the fly.
Alex Khvatov: What players on your team should we keep an eye on for next season?
Patrick Eby: DL Daniel DeLorenzi and OL Parker Coogan. Parker is the most physical and strongest guy on the team. DL Mike Hinton had a redshirt year. He will be playing at Uconn as a graduate transfer. He is a smart guy. He is really tough, athletic and fast.
Alex Khvatov: Who is the toughest player that you have faced?
Patrick Eby: He is my own teammate. FS Landon Baty is not pursuing a career in the NFL. He is one of the toughest players and a great leader. He is the best captain that I have had.
Alex Khvatov: What do you enjoy most about football?
Patrick Eby: I love being around the guys. The relationships that I made with coaches and players in Columbia. I will be in contact with them for my entire life.
Alex Khvatov: What are your hobbies?
Patrick Eby: The number one thing for me is magic. I am magician. I have done it since I have been six years old. I love it. I have been working on it for so long. I have done a bunch of shows for the team. Every preseason, the coach would have me do a magician show. While at the NFLPA Bowl, I did a trick for Richard Sherman. I also to play guitar and work on screen writing. I have been working on a movie.
Alex Khvatov: What do you want to do with your life after your football career is over?
Patrick Eby: I plan to get a PhD in psychology and open up my own practice. I want to go into business for myself.
Alex Khvatov: What five words best describe you?
Patrick Eby: Persistent, consciousness, emphatic, open-minded and eclectic.
