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This week, Phins.com had the opportunity to speak with RB Lorenzo Booker, the team’s third round draft pick from Florida State. Lorenzo shared his thoughts on the transition from college to pro, and preparing to contribute on the field.

 

On his experience as a pro thus far

I really don’t have any complaints. It’s been an adjustment, the biggest adjustment I’ve ever had to make. Just understanding that there’s a business aspect to football now is something that really kind of affected me, You just want to focus on the good stuff but you’ve got to look out for yourself, too. But it has been great. The thing that has been the best is that, all you hear about in college is how much of a business it is and how the locker room is lonely, and I haven’t experienced that. A lot of credit goes to the older guys, especially Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, and Ronnie Brown. They made it a lot easier for me. You hear a lot of stories about how individualistic it is. I tell you what, this is just as tight as the team I played with in college. It might be a little tighter, to be honest. I’m enjoying myself.

 

On the complexities of a pro offensive system versus a college system

The system in college (FSU) was pretty complex. There are things I was used to, like “door reading” when it comes to (pass) protections, having to read defenses, having a spread offense, and different complex playcalling. The biggest difference in coming to the NFL is that you can call one play the same way with 15 different (variations). There might be a different motion or a different formation. (At FSU), when you hear a play call, it pretty much tells every guy exactly what to do. But in the NFL, you judge what you have to do based on what everyone else is doing. So you can’t listen to a playcall and just focus on what it means to you. You have to listen to what the wideouts are doing, what the line is doing, and that means I’m doing this. It ends up helping you in the end because you understand the scheme as opposed to just what you’re doing and then you’ll be to make adjustments on the run.

 

On how things in college are becoming more complex as NFL coaches enter the college ranks

From a coaching perspective, it’s definitely getting that way. It’s good for players because you’re not so shocked once you get here. That’s the hardest part about adjusting to the next level of football, the mental aspect of it.

 

On facing tougher competition in the NFL

Talent-wise, I was fortunate enough to go to a school like Florida State. So I knew it wasn’t going to be a huge difference (going from college to pro). At FSU, I played against 8 first rounders, just on my team. That’s not counting Jonathan Vilma, Sean Taylor and all those other guys I played against like Channing Crowder. So I am used to playing with guys of that caliber.

 

On if Cam Cameron has the right things in place to take advantage of Booker’s skills

That’s all he’s done. Every time I play, I am in those kinds of positions. That’s why I was so excited when I got drafted here because I knew the kind of game he called when he was in San Diego. I don’t think he would’ve drafted me had he not felt like that’s what we were going to do here. That’s what Leon (Washington, Booker’s college teammate) told me last year as I was getting ready to come out, the good thing about the NFL is that when you get drafted it’s for a specific purpose. I’m excited. I go to work every day so that when that time comes to show what I can do I’ll be ready.