Exclusive interview with Baylor LB Terrel Bernard: NY Jets interest, Senior Bowl, more

Terrel Bernard's Senior Bowl experience

JF: "Not only were you invited to this year's Senior Bowl, but you made the trip with a few Baylor teammates as well. In fact, all of you guys were on the same team. What was the experience like down in Mobile, not only being there yourself, but being able to share that experience with your teammates?"

TB: "Yeah I think that was awesome. It was fun just being there, but like you said being there with teammates — guys I've worked with for 4-5 years — is definitely something you can't take away. I was there with J.T. Woods, Jalen Pitre, and Abram Smith, all guys that came in around the same time that I did. We've been through everything at Baylor together. I think it was just a good experience for all of us. Everybody did well there so I was really excited about that."

Working with the NY Jets' staff at the Senior Bowl

JF: "So at the Senior Bowl, you were on the National Team, which was coached by the Jets' coaching staff. Now I know you had a hamstring thing so you weren't able to practice, but what was the experience like being down there working with Coach [Ron] Middleton, Coach [Mike] Rutenberg, and that whole staff?"

TB: "It was awesome man. You can tell they really know what they're talking about. They were very professional, but also very fun. We're only there for a week so you kind of get a crash course on some of their installs and some of the things they do and what they believe in. It was awesome. Like you said, Coach [Rutenberg], I just talked to him last week. He was probably one of my favorite people that I ran into throughout this whole draft process. Being able to sit in a meeting room with him for a week, and keep that connection was great. He's a really genuine guy and I appreciate having the opportunity to work with him there. So we'll see what happens.

The NY Jets and other NFL teams that have shown interest

JF: "Are there any teams that have shown a little more interest than others that you could potentially see yourself with come draft day?"

TB: "Yeah definitely. I would say the Jets, Texans, Bills, and Buccaneers. I think those are probably the teams I've talked to the most so far."

JF: "Awesome, well hey I'm glad to hear it's the Jets. We'd love to have you in New York."