On Tuesday, after participating in a couple of drills at Pro Day, Derwin James met with the Florida State media for the first time since he decided to skip the Seminoles’ bowl game back in December.
The former FSU star, who is expected to be one of the first defensive players selected in the 2018 NFL Draft, was asked how tough a decision that was at the time.
“It was one of the hardest things,” James said as he shook his head. “Just walking away from my teammates and how everything unfolded -- it was hard. But at the end of the day, I’m in the world now where it’s just a business decision.”
James didn’t want to risk being injured when he knew he was a potential first-round draft pick. Everyone understood the reason.
And even though the Seminoles handled Southern Miss with ease in the bowl game without him, James admitted it wasn’t easy to watch his team play without him.
In fact, he said on Tuesday that his intention was to go the bowl in Shreveport, La., to watch from the sidelines. But he flew into New Orleans the morning of the game, not knowing the distance between the two cities.
When he called an Uber to take him to the stadium, he realized he was five hours away.
“So, I just stayed in my hotel and watched it,” James said. “It was cold and raining, but I was mad.”
The star safety wanted to be there for his teammates, even if he wasn’t going to be in uniform. He said he was touched by the support they gave him when he left the team after the Louisiana-Monroe game.
“About 95 percent, 100 percent of them told me that was what was best,” James said. “Because we were having the coaching change before our last game. A lot of coaches were uncertain they were going to have a job, and as you can see, there’s only Coach (Odell Haggins) that’s still here.
"So, all my coaches, Coach Odell, they were behind me. Even with Coach Fisher leaving, I still talked to him about it. Everybody was behind me. My teammates were behind me and were like, ‘Man, go do what you need to do.’ So, it made it that much easier for me to take that next step.”
That next step will be him becoming the next first-round NFL defensive back in Florida State history.
“I feel like I’m the best player in the draft,” James said multiple times on Tuesday.
He might not have been the best defensive back in the Florida State indoor practice facility on Tuesday, though.
Jacksonville Jaguars star Jalen Ramsey was on hand for the workouts and even crashed a James interview with NFL.com to echo the sentiment that his former teammate is the best player in the draft.
