ATLANTA, Ga.– Over the past few days down in Mobile, we in the media got to know some very intriguing things about some NFL prospects that maybe we didn’t know before Senior Bowl week. One of those intriguing players is Alabama offensive guard Arie Kouandjio.
When you speak with him, he sounds like a five to six year veteran on an NFL roster. This is a player who obviously has a ton of intelligence to go along with ability on the field.
Over the past couple of seasons at Alabama, Kouandjio started all 27 games at the left guard spot. Last year, he was on the same offensive line as his younger brother Cyrus. He earned himself first team All-SEC honors last season before making the jump for the NFL to join the Buffalo Bills as a second round pick at offensive tackle.
Now, it is older brother Arie trying to make the leap for the pros. In that case, Cyrus has been a real help to Arie going through this entire process.
“He told me it’s going to be pretty hectic,” Kouandjio said. “I kind of experienced a lot of things that he was going through with him. So I got to live kind of vicariously through him. I was able to almost make my own judgment on things and I’m blessed to have a younger brother even though he’s younger he’s gone through all these things.”
Arie also picked up first team All-SEC honors in his final season at Alabama. He was also named a second team AP All-American.
Even though he had a successful career with the Crimson Tide, he like others coached by Nick Saban is trying to improve for his future employer.
“I’m always working on my technique and the things that I have to do,” Kouandjio said. “Getting better with playbooks, terminologies, and seeing defenses. It’s mental stuff like that, you never really get completed. I feel like I will always want to keep getting better and that is kind of what drives me.”
That explanation by the Alabama standout does read pretty broad, but Kouandjio says so be it.
“I think it is broad,” Kouandjio said. “One of my goals is to be a complete player. To be complete, you’ve got to work on everything. I don’t think it’s going to happen if I just sit there and put a video tape on my head or something like that. If I’ve got to get better at it, I’ve got to work at it every day. That’s what I do.”
The Hyattsville, Maryland native went to Alabama, after playing prep ball at legendary DeMatha Catholic near Washington D.C. This Catholic school has put out numerous athletes in all sports who have gone on to greatness. Athletes like Basketball Hall of Famer Adrian Dantley, current Orlando Magic Victor Oladipo, current Miami Dolphins pass rusher Cameron Wake, and legendary Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook just to name a few. Names like that could tell you why he’s driven.
Even with all those names, Kouandjio singles out Eagles left tackle Jason Peters as a player that he likes to mirror on the field. But, he adds that his admiration for NFL linemen doesn’t end with him.
“I go around and try to find out who are the best guys,” Kouandjio said. “Even on Sundays, I’m not looking at the ball flying around or anything like that. My attempt is to find the guys who I figure play real well and kind of emulate them.”
NFLDraftScout.com, run by CBSSports.com has Arie projected to be drafted like his brother in the second round. The NFL draft projection website WalterFootball.com has him going as the second pick of that round to the Falcons division rival, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
One thing that can be safe to assume with Kouandjio, is that his career won’t be plagued by a lack of effort.
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