Dorial Green-Beckham Q&A: Titans Rookie Talks Maturing into a Pro—and a Father

CLEVELAND — Dorial Green-Beckham is one of the most intriguing players in this season's NFL rookie class.

He has the stunning size (6'5", 237 pounds) and speed (4.49 in the 40-yard dash) to be the next Randy Moss. He has the off-field resume to be the next troubled player who is out of the league quickly and not quietly.

During the NFL Rookie Symposium, Green-Beckham listened to numerous speakers discuss the pratfalls of an NFL career, spent time working with children in the league's Play 60 program and toured the Pro Football Hall of Fame in nearby Canton.

He also spoke with Bleacher Report for a few minutes.

Bleacher Report: You seemed to really enjoy your experience at the Play 60 program more than most. I saw you laughing and joking a lot with the kids and the other players. Was there something special about that for you?

Green-Beckham: I remember when I was growing up, I didn't have anything like that. I feel it's important to me because when I was growing up I didn't have stuff like this. I was the type of kid that I played basketball all through when I was young and through high school. I didn't get involved in football, really, until my senior year.

B/R: So you were dreaming about being Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, not Randy Moss.

Green-Beckham: Oh yeah, I was a LeBron [James], Michael Jordan type of guy. 

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

B/R: And then suddenly it was like you could be the next Calvin Johnson.

Green-Beckham: Yeah, like out of nowhere. ... Watching these kids, I think about the times I could have been out here doing this. I could have been involved in football a whole lot more. Just seeing a smile on these kids' faces, it makes me smile. In the future, I could see my son being able to do stuff like this. With me, his dad, having a bright future, he could be able to see things through me that I wasn't able to do. So when he gets older, he can chase his dreams even further.

B/R: When is your son due?

Green-Beckham: In a couple of weeks. My girlfriend is back in Missouri. She knew she was pregnant back when I was at Oklahoma.

B/R: So talk about the feeling of being a father.

Green-Beckham: I wasn't expecting it to be this soon. But then again, I'm kind of glad that it's now because I'm excited for it. I can't wait for the baby to get here, and I'm going to do the best for him. For me, with my whole background of being adopted, that's important for me. I didn't have my pops growing up, and now that I'm having a son, I'm going to give my son everything I didn't have, which is a father.

B/R: My father wasn't around for most of my life. I remember when my first son was born, I just kept wondering, "How do I do this?"

Green-Beckham: Exactly. For me, not having that father figure around, I'm going to give my son everything I can. I had my coach who adopted me to teach me how to do this, and so I know what kind of father I need to be because I learned from Coach [John] Beckham.

B/R: So you have a career about to start and a child on the way. You have a lot of things going on, and you've been through a lot in your life. You have gotten in trouble and not been allowed to play. How much does that make you say you have to focus?

Green-Beckham: I think about that a lot. I know that with my career starting out and my son on the way, I know it's a lot. But I know that me having a son is going to be a big factor in me being able to just focus on football and focus on [my girlfriend] and my son. I want to see him grow up.

B/R: So it sounds like you're forced to grow up in a hurry in this situation.

Green-Beckham: Yeah, I do feel like that after all the stuff that I've been through in college. I was young. I was really young at the time, and now I do feel like a grown man. Being out here, being drafted, this game is a job, and it's a big man's job. That's the difference between college and now. You never know how soon you could get cut in this business.

B/R: How great can you be?

Green-Beckham: Really, it's up to me how I want my future to turn out. And really, I want to be great. I want to be the guy that has like 12 or 15 years in the NFL. I want to be that guy that people talk about, but it's up to me to make that happen. I have to be there every day, fighting for that career and fighting for my kid.

John Bazemore/Associated Press

B/R: The theme of this week is largely about dealing with off-field issues. You have been through a lot of problems. What flips that switch in your head to make sure that when you leave the practice facility everything is going to be taken care of correctly?

Green-Beckham: I know in the back of my head that I came a long way and that everything works now and everything is important now. I know everybody is watching. I know I can't have no more of those days. I know what everybody is expecting of me. I know that I have to continue to be the best person I can be, and I have to continue to be the best teammate I can be and not let anybody down.

B/R: Is it good that people are watching you so closely?

Green-Beckham: It is because those people are watching me grow into the type of man I'm going to become or the type of man I'm becoming. There is still going to be time that people talk about how I'm a bad person, but by being around me, that's going to change their way of looking at me. I've been through some bad situations, but that doesn't define who I am.

B/R: But is it good to have the pressure of people looking at you constantly, wondering when you might fail?

Green-Beckham: For me, it makes me feel like I have a chip on my shoulder to prove that I've grown, I've matured and I'm going to take care of my family.

B/R: Cris Carter gave the closing remarks for your group at the symposium and called you out of the crowd to stand next to him on stage for a minute. Then he said that despite having a 16-year Hall of Fame career, he would love to change places with you. That's a powerful statement from a man who has accomplished so much. How did you take that?

Green-Beckham: He also called me over to talk for a good five minutes or so after that and asked how I've been doing and what I liked about the process. I said I had a good time here and I've been working to put myself around better people.

B/R: He called you up there for a purpose, though. He's definitely trying to make a point to you.

Green-Beckham: Yeah, but that's not the first time we've talked, either. We talked a little bit before I left Oklahoma about my decision to come out or stay. Why was it good or why wasn't it good. It's all turned out for the best, but it's him being there for me.

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

B/R: Walking around the Hall of Fame, you seemed to be very interested.

Green-Beckham: It's just a lot of history. It's my first time being here. It's the first time for a lot of these guys, and seeing this stuff is pretty cool and having that feel.

B/R: That feel that you hope one day you're part of the Hall?

Green-Beckham: Yeah, that's the goal, but it's like they say: It's all about what we put into it. That's my decision to see if I want to fight to be in the Hall of Fame or have a great season or be one of those guys to just go out there. But this is all new to me, and seeing everybody's facial reaction to all this is really big for me.

B/R: My nephew has come to live with my wife and me, so I'm curious to know from you, what was the biggest hurdle you faced in learning to trust somebody after you went through the adoption process?

Green-Beckham: For me, it's different because I've had a relationship with the Beckhams from before I was adopted because I had two brothers who played for [Coach] Beckham. So I always would be around him and go see my brothers play. He wasn't the head coach until my freshman year, but he was coaching. So anytime I went to see the game, I was getting familiar with him. Obviously, [the Beckhams] knew a lot about my background, and just because my brothers and all them played for Coach Beckham, I could easily trust him.

B/R: My nephew lived on a youth ranch for a couple of years. How much bouncing around did you do along the way before you were adopted?

Green-Beckham: I went through three or four homes bouncing around trying to settle in. After a while, that whole going from different places at a young age, you don't know what to do. Like, who do you want to be around? For him, I feel like he wants to be comfortable with the people who have been there for him rather than meeting different people and going through all these different homes. That can be stressful.

B/R: Randy Moss or Calvin Johnson?

Green-Beckham: Uh, both? The great Randy Moss. I want to be the great Randy Moss. But I really don't want to put limits on anything. I'm going to prepare and be ready and be my own man. I'm going to be Dorial Green-Beckham. I want to be that. I want you all to say, "That's just Dorial. That's him."

Jason Cole covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.