Dehonta Hayes
Safety / Eastern Washington

Alex Khvatov:  What are your measurements (height, weight and forty time)?

Dehonta Hayes:  5’10 3/8, 204 and I ran a 4.44. 

Alex Khvatov:  Where were you training for the NFL Draft? 

Dehonta Hayes:  I was training at my school with the assistant strength and conditioning coach T.J. Conley.  He was a punter who played for the Jets,

Alex Khvatov:  Describe your mock Pro Day.  What were you overall results?    

Dehonta Hayes:  I had two mock pro days in Oregon and Spokane.  I was happy with the results, but I ran faster times than were posted.  I ran way faster during training.  I hurried and rushed to Oregon.  We got it filmed.  I was top 3 in every category for safeties at the Combine.  I trained and put in a lot of hard work.  I showed my athleticism.  I got a 4.07 in the shuttle and 6.73 in the L-drill.  My broad jump was 10’11 and 39.5 on the vert.  On my bench, I got 16.    

Alex Khvatov:  Coming out of high school, what programs showed interest in you?

Dehonta Hayes:  I was heavily recruited in the 2015 class.  I had 13 offers.  A lot of them were MWC and Big Sky schools.  UW and Oregon looked at me as a preferred walk on. 

Alex Khvatov:  Why did you choose Eastern Washington? 

Dehonta Hayes:  I loved the coaches, the players, faculty and staff.  I didn’t have that same feeling elsewhere.  My best friend had committed here.  The first couple of years, I didn’t play that much.  I had a good year as a junior and another great    senior year.       

Alex Khvatov:  What are your strengths?

Dehonta Hayes:  I am a natural leader.  Playing the safety position, you are the QB of the defense.  I have good energy and I work extremely hard.  I love to tackle.  It is my biggest strength.  I play the ball well in the air.  I make things happen when the ball is in my hands.  I was leading my teammates during my senior year.  I became a leader.  I had four INT’s in two years.

Alex Khvatov:  Did you play any special teams in college?

Dehonta Hayes:  In my early years, I played on kickoffs and kickoff return.  I also played on punt returns as a gunner.  I love special teams.  As I got older, I didn’t play special teams because the coaches wanted the older guys to focus on playing defense.  I was also a No.1 returner at a Washington high school.  I was a kickoff and punt returner.  I played WR and RB in high school.  UC Davis and Nevada wanted to play RB in college.      

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

Dehonta Hayes:  I need to get more reps in press man coverage.  I played a lot of man, but there is not a lot of film of me playing man.  I am very capable of playing well in press man coverage.    

Alex Khvatov:  Tell us about your senior year.

Dehonta Hayes:  I had 115 tackles my senior year.  I faced lots of adversity during the offseason.  I am still progressing.  I only had two seasons in college under my belt.  My senior year was cut short because we didn’t make the playoffs.  I had goals in the offseason.  I wanted to make 100+tackles.  I had multiple games with 17 tackles.  Every game, I had over 10+tackles.  I had 11 tackles against UW.  I was always around the ball.  I was playing SS and being closer to the ball.  

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

Dehonta Hayes:  The highlight was my senior year as a whole.  I was so strong all year.  I had back-to-back games with 17 tackles.  We were also rotating guys at corner the whole year.  We had redshirt freshmen or sophomores out there.  I had to adjust to different corners each game.  I had to adapt to different people around me.  It helped build my character.    

Alex Khvatov:  What is your biggest accomplishment in college that you are most proud of? 

Dehonta Hayes:  Last year, I was selected as the scholar athlete of the year.  It was awesome to get recognized.  I didn’t expect to get it, but I won the award.  It was awesome.  I graduated last year with a 3.87 GPA.  I started working towards my master’s in the fall.    

Alex Khvatov:  What was the biggest thing that you took away from your coaching staff? 

Dehonta Hayes:  The biggest thing is how you respond from adversity.  They taught me about what the offense is doing.  They have put me in position to make huge plays and tackles.  I was studying film like crazy and was calling out plays.  Against Sac State, it was a second down.  I noticed a tendency and called out a slant.  They ran it, and we got the INT.    

Alex Khvatov:  What is the most important trait for a safety?

Dehonta Hayes:  Be fearless.  You are the last line of defense.  You can’t choke.  You have to be locked in.  You can’t have any fear as a safety.  You have to sacrifice to make the play.      

Alex Khvatov:  What is your favorite NFL team?

Dehonta Hayes:  My mom is a huge Dallas fan.  My dad is a Saints fan.  I am a fan of the game and certain players.      

Alex Khvatov:  Who is your favorite NFL player?

Dehonta Hayes:  Budda Baker.  I played against him at Bellevue.  I also like Odell Beckham, Cooper Kupp and Tyrann Mathieu.  I watch Jamal Adams film all the time. 

Alex Khvatov:  Are NFL safeties different from college counterparts?

Dehonta Hayes:  When I watch the film, it looks similar.  The guys are faster and bigger.  Coverages might be a little different.  When I watched the Browns on Hard Knocks, it was pretty much the same thing.  Safeties have more freedom in the NFL.  The complexities of the playbook. 

Alex Khvatov:  Before the ball is snapped, what are the tendencies that you are looking for from the offense?

Dehonta Hayes:  I see the down and distance.  I do a lot of film study.  I know what plays they normally run in certain situations.  I look at the formations.  The RB plays a huge role.  He is a big key indicator.   

Alex Khvatov:  Who was the toughest opponent that you faced at Eastern Washington?

Dehonta Hayes:  UC Davis.  Keelan Doss was a huge player for them before.  We didn’t play them this year.  We always had to be 100% in sync against them. 

Alex Khvatov:  Tell us about the event that changed your life last summer.   

Dehonta Hayes:  It was just a random shooting.  I was looking for my car keys.  I opened the door, and just some random people did a drive by shooting.  The bullet hit me in my neck.  It was a crazy event.  I was going into my senior season.  It was not life threatening at all.  I had to rest for a week.  Three guys jumped a person nearby when my teammate told them to stop.  Then my teammate started walking towards me.  We were about 20 feet from each other.  I didn’t even know why this event happened.  They might have been intimidated by my teammate.  He is a big guy.  When he told them to stop, those three guys ran to the car.  Then the shooting occurred.  I went back to training after about a week.  The permanent bullet fragment is in my neck.  It didn’t affect me.         

Alex Khvatov:  What players on your team should we keep an eye on for next season?

Dehonta Hayes:  WR Talolo Limu-Jones is a good player.  WR Andrew Boston.  Safety Calin Criner, LB Jack Sendelbach, QB Eric Barriere and RB Tamarick Pierce.

Alex Khvatov:  What can we expect from Eastern Washington next season?

Dehonta Hayes:  They should have a good season.  They should bounce back.  They were working hard with 5am workouts before everything got shut down.  The coaches have a different mindset.  We have a new safety’s coach in Zach Bruce.  They should be in the playoffs.       

Alex Khvatov:  Who was the best player that you have faced on an opposing team?

Dehonta Hayes:  Keelan Doss was an amazing WR.  He made spectacular catches.  He was a fundamentally sound player.  He was the best player.    

Alex Khvatov:  What do you enjoy most about football?

Dehonta Hayes:  I love going to practices.  The camaraderie with my teammates.  When the season ended this past year, it was hard not being around my teammates.  I will always cherish that time.       

Alex Khvatov:  What are your hobbies?

Dehonta Hayes:  I train a lot.  Two to three times a day.  I also like video games and cooking.    

Alex Khvatov:  What do you want to do with your life after your football career is over?

Dehonta Hayes:  I want to get into public relations.  I worked with clients at a public relations firm.  I have some experience under my belt.  I am getting my master’s in communication.  I want to play in the NFL.  That is where my focus is right now.  Bengals’ QB Jon Kitna coached me for three years in high school.  He always told me that I am an NFL player.  Lawyer Milloy would come down and saw a lot of potential in me as well. 

Alex Khvatov:  What five words best describe you?

Dehonta Hayes:  Leader, resilient, tough, fast and uncommon. 

Alex Khvatov:  What makes you uncommon?

Dehonta Hayes:  The way I hit people.  My athleticism and my ability to make plays on the ball.  I am able to bounce back from stuff.  Not too many players can do the things that I do.