**
Q: Did you have any expectations about where you would fall in the draft? Were you surprised either in a good way or a bad way?**
Walford:"I really didn't have any preference. I thought was going to go more in the second but that didn't work out. I'm not tripping. It is what it is."
Q: Have you had any contact with the Raiders in the pre-draft process?
Walford:"Yeah at the combine and at the Senior Bowl. I talked to the Raiders a lot."
Q: What would you say your strengths are as a player?
Walford:"I can hop for the ball. I'm a great pass-catcher. I'm a great run-blocker. I'm just a dual-threat tight end."
Q: Are there NFL tight ends who you have followed or who you might model yourself after at all?
Walford:"Yeah of course. Rob Gronkowski from the Patriots."
**
Q: Why would you say that your senior season went so well? You were obviously pretty productive.**
Walford:"Just maturity, and becoming a legitimate leader and just focusing more."
Q: Who have you talked to here with the Raiders so far?
Walford:"I talked to the offensive coordinator [Bill Musgrave], the GM [Reggie McKenzie], and I think the tight ends coach [Bobby Johnson], if I'm not mistaken."
Q: What did Bill Musgrave tell you about your role here?
Walford:"He really didn't say anything about my role. He just asked me if I'm ready to be a Raider, and I told him I'm ready."
Q: Do you see the role of the tight end as diminishing in the NFL, or do you think you can be on the field for a lot of snaps?
Walford:"I mean, I don't know. I'm going to go out to Oakland and just compete. I'm not looking to go start right away. I'm going out there to learn from the veterans and take some of their advice, but you know I'm going to compete at the same time. If I win that starting spot, then that's all on God."
Q: How much special teams background do you have?
Walford:"I played kick return in college. I played punt block. I played field goal."
Q: Miami has a pretty good tradition of tight ends. Is that what attracted you to go there?
Walford:"We've got a great line of them, from Bubba Franks, Jimmy Graham, Greg Olsen, Kellen Winslow, you name them. That's what we do, we build tight ends. Standish Dobard is up next, a young tight end coming out of Miami."
