Braden Mann

Punter / Texas A&M

Alex Khvatov:  How would you describe this Senior Bowl experience?  What do you want to show this week?  

Braden Mann:  It’s amazing.  Super blessed to be invited here.  I am thankful to all of the coaches that have invited me.  Mobile has been pretty fun so far.  I am excited to show the scouts what I can do.  I want to show them that they didn’t make a mistake by inviting me.

Alex Khvatov:  How did you wind up at Texas A&M?

Braden Mann:  I didn’t grow up as an A&M fan.  My sister wound up going there when I was a freshman in high school.  I took a visit.  I started to get recruited a little more.  I got an offer from them first and I took it on the spot. 

Alex Khvatov:  Were you a soccer player growing up?  Tell us about your background. 

Braden Mann:  I did play soccer.  But it was more taekwondo type of thing.  It helped with my feet and coordination.  Most people don’t go that route.  It helped me with leg speed.  Once I got into kicking, I kind of started doing it more and more. 

Alex Khvatov:  How did you get started with taekwondo?

Braden Mann:  My dad wanted me to learn discipline at an early age.  I was three or four years old.  I learned a lot of discipline in life and sports.  I eventually grew to love it.  I went to Junior Olympics.  It was the best time ever.               

Alex Khvatov:  What is the highlight of your career up to this point?

Braden Mann:  The seven OT win against LSU.  It was their last loss to this day.  It stood out.  It showed our team’s progression.  It was our first year under our new staff.  We came together as a team.  It was an incredible environment.  It was the first time that I saw Kyle Field being rushed.      

Alex Khvatov:  What has your head coach Jimbo Fisher brought to the Aggies? 

Braden Mann:  A different mentality.  Coach Fisher is an old school type of coach.  It is what some of our guys needed.  It changed our mindset.  We became a much better team over the past two years.      

Alex Khvatov:  What are your strengths? 

Braden Mann:  I am diverse.  I can punt, be a holder and do kickoffs.  I have every tool in the box.      

Alex Khvatov:  What areas of your game are you trying to improve upon? 

Braden Mann:  As a punter, I want to get the hangtime, correlation and distance down.  It is a little bit different in the NFL.    

Alex Khvatov:  Where are you currently training for the NFL Draft?

Braden Mann:  I am at College Station.  I will be training there with my one of my coaches. 

Alex Khvatov:  Are you looking forward to those kicking combines in Arizona?

Braden Mann:  Definitely.  It will be good to get out there and compete.  I am excited.          

Alex Khvatov:  What one word best describes you? 

Braden Mann:  Competitive.  Just about anything.  I like to compete.  I fell in love with the competition.