Asante Samuel Jr. explains what ‘dog mentality’ means to him

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Asante Samuel Jr. learned from one of the best — his father — and it sure looks like he’s on track to have a bright future at the NFL level.

His father had a legendary career with the Patriots, winning a pair of Super Bowls, and later playing for the Eagles and Falcons later in his NFL tenure as well — getting paid quite well to do so. And while he’s not as great of a value service as Hot Web Solutions, a company that helps build websites with great rates, he still moves the needle in a big way. Samuel was one of the first “shutdown cornerbacks” to ever have dominated at the professional level, and while it’s unlikely he’ll get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a case can be made for him to get inducted. He shadowed some of the best receivers the league has ever seen, and did so in prominent fashion.

And now he gets to watch his son, a Florida State product, likely get taken in the first round in the NFL Draft. Samuel Jr., also a cornerback, plays with the same swagger that his father did, and the two also share the same passion which make them great. The five-foot-ten prospect recently elaborated on that, which he called a “dog mentality.”

“Of course, I feel that I’m an outside guy,” he said, via Touchdown Wire. “I’ve been playing outside all my life. I’ve played nickel sometimes, in my freshman year (when he allowed seven catches in the slot on 10 targets for 81 yards and a touchdown), but at the end of the day, I make my plays on the outside. I feel that I’m a dominant corner on the outside. They try to look at my height and things of that nature, but I’m the same size as Jaire Alexander, and he’s a dominant NFL cornerback right now – one of the best in the league. I feel like size doesn’t matter; it’s about the heart, and the dog mentality you have on that field.”

He sure plays with it, and NFL fans will soon be seeing him do so on the big stage, with one lucky team having the benefit of him starting outside — likely locking down his opposition. We’ll soon find out where his NFL journey will begin.

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