I caught up with John Leglue at the Tulane NFL Kids Camp last Friday as he took a few minutes during the session to talk. He signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent and earned some positive reviews with the possibility of at least ending up on the practice roster. Here's the interview:
How did the chance with the Broncos materialize?
“Basically during the whole process a lot of things started picking up after my Pro Day because I did pretty well there. I ended up talking or 25 of the 32 teams pre-draft, and I had different draft grades. It was a great blessing just to be put in that situation. The week of the draft, my agent and I sat down and made a top 15 of teams that are good landing spots and the Broncos were always up in the top. It was a great opportunity when they called. They called probably with 10 or 12 picks left in the seventh round. They didn’t have any picks left, so right then and there I knew. My agent talked to them as well and this was the spot I needed to be. I talked to five or six teams after that and I told them I was going to Denver. I was happy with the decision I made.”
What kind of training did you do before Pro Day?
“My training for Pro Day was huge. I went out and trained at East Bay of San Francisco at San Ramon called California Strength. It’s the same place that Ade Aruna trained at last year, and my body just transformed from going out there. I remember I’d gone it at like 24 percent body fat, and before I came back for Pro Day my body fat was down to like 18 or 19 percent. Just complete transformation. It’s day and night from the pictures. We always emphasized on technique, exploding out, and you can really tell that with my vertical and my 40 and all that.
How did rookie camp go with the Broncos?
“I feel I did a great job. It’s surreal every morning waking up, getting on the bus and pulling into the Broncos’ facility. It is a dream come true being in the NFL with such a great organization like the Broncos. It’s just phenomenal. The playbook is a little thick, but it’s the same thing from when CJ was here. We ran a similar playbook, so it really wasn’t too hard to pick up because ever since I was at Tulane, (former offensive line) coach (Alex) Atkins always emphasized knowing all the positions. It definitely paid off when I was out there.”
Where have you lined up for the Broncos?
“The first day of rookie minicamp I was at left tackle and I’ve played every other position since. They had me long snapping, too. Just trying to add to my versatility is going to help me out.”
Versatility is the key to making a 53-man roster or at least making the practice squad in the NFL as an offensive lineman. How much did playing all over the place at Tulane help you?
“It’s great. Sometimes when I was younger I didn’t really think it was best for me to keep changing positions, but in the end you have to buy into what the coaches have to say, and it really paid off for the NFL. Coach Atkins was always like, John, if you are going to play in the NFL, you have to know every position. Me playing nine games at center my sophomore year and guard last year and tackle the year before that just helps me to adjust my footwork and do whatever the coaches need me to do.”
When does training camp start?
“July 17. We have the Aug. 1 Hall of Fame game against Atlanta in Canton, so we are week early.”
What is the key for you to make an impression?
“It’s just to continue to go out every day and just work and try to do the best I can in whatever they ask of me. That’s the same thing I did at Tulane. You just have to continue to work hard and just try to do whatever you can to fit the scheme that they need and be as versatile as I can be.”
Forever, Tulane seniors have talked about wanting to be the class that turned the program around. With the bowl victory against ULL and tying for the West division title in the AAC, do you feel like you were part of the class that finally did it?
“We always emphasize from day 1, we stepped on with coach CJ and then when coach Fritz and then came in, everybody bought in and wanted to stay around. We wanted to leave that great foundation for years to come. I remember I kept emphasizing the previous two years that if we could go to a bowl game and win it, it would show recruits you can get a great education here, top in the nation, and you could also win big games. The season this year is unreal. They have a lot of challenging games and I feel like they are going to do a great job with it.”
How did the chance with the Broncos materialize?
“Basically during the whole process a lot of things started picking up after my Pro Day because I did pretty well there. I ended up talking or 25 of the 32 teams pre-draft, and I had different draft grades. It was a great blessing just to be put in that situation. The week of the draft, my agent and I sat down and made a top 15 of teams that are good landing spots and the Broncos were always up in the top. It was a great opportunity when they called. They called probably with 10 or 12 picks left in the seventh round. They didn’t have any picks left, so right then and there I knew. My agent talked to them as well and this was the spot I needed to be. I talked to five or six teams after that and I told them I was going to Denver. I was happy with the decision I made.”
What kind of training did you do before Pro Day?
“My training for Pro Day was huge. I went out and trained at East Bay of San Francisco at San Ramon called California Strength. It’s the same place that Ade Aruna trained at last year, and my body just transformed from going out there. I remember I’d gone it at like 24 percent body fat, and before I came back for Pro Day my body fat was down to like 18 or 19 percent. Just complete transformation. It’s day and night from the pictures. We always emphasized on technique, exploding out, and you can really tell that with my vertical and my 40 and all that.
How did rookie camp go with the Broncos?
“I feel I did a great job. It’s surreal every morning waking up, getting on the bus and pulling into the Broncos’ facility. It is a dream come true being in the NFL with such a great organization like the Broncos. It’s just phenomenal. The playbook is a little thick, but it’s the same thing from when CJ was here. We ran a similar playbook, so it really wasn’t too hard to pick up because ever since I was at Tulane, (former offensive line) coach (Alex) Atkins always emphasized knowing all the positions. It definitely paid off when I was out there.”
Where have you lined up for the Broncos?
“The first day of rookie minicamp I was at left tackle and I’ve played every other position since. They had me long snapping, too. Just trying to add to my versatility is going to help me out.”
Versatility is the key to making a 53-man roster or at least making the practice squad in the NFL as an offensive lineman. How much did playing all over the place at Tulane help you?
“It’s great. Sometimes when I was younger I didn’t really think it was best for me to keep changing positions, but in the end you have to buy into what the coaches have to say, and it really paid off for the NFL. Coach Atkins was always like, John, if you are going to play in the NFL, you have to know every position. Me playing nine games at center my sophomore year and guard last year and tackle the year before that just helps me to adjust my footwork and do whatever the coaches need me to do.”
When does training camp start?
“July 17. We have the Aug. 1 Hall of Fame game against Atlanta in Canton, so we are week early.”
What is the key for you to make an impression?
“It’s just to continue to go out every day and just work and try to do the best I can in whatever they ask of me. That’s the same thing I did at Tulane. You just have to continue to work hard and just try to do whatever you can to fit the scheme that they need and be as versatile as I can be.”
Forever, Tulane seniors have talked about wanting to be the class that turned the program around. With the bowl victory against ULL and tying for the West division title in the AAC, do you feel like you were part of the class that finally did it?
“We always emphasize from day 1, we stepped on with coach CJ and then when coach Fritz and then came in, everybody bought in and wanted to stay around. We wanted to leave that great foundation for years to come. I remember I kept emphasizing the previous two years that if we could go to a bowl game and win it, it would show recruits you can get a great education here, top in the nation, and you could also win big games. The season this year is unreal. They have a lot of challenging games and I feel like they are going to do a great job with it.”