The Pittsburgh Steelers introduced their 2012 first round draft pick, Stanford guard David DeCastro, to the media today so he could hold his introductory press conference. Team President Art Rooney II introduced DeCastro after the ceremonial presentation of the No. 1 Steelers jersey. After several poses for the camera DeCastro, a man of few works, took the podium to answer questions from the local media.
Below is audio from the press conference and I will add the transcript later.
[audio:https://steelersdepot.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/david-decastro-press-conference.mp3]Art II: Good afternoon everyone. Thanks for joining us today as we introduce our first round draft pick, David DeCastro. I don’t think they keep records about this, but I think he may have set the record for shortest time between being drafted and being on a plane to Pittsburgh. Last night, right after we drafted him, I heard he was catching the red eye flight. I appreciate you catching the red eye in. He comes to us, as Coach Tomlin would say, with a strong pedigree, a starting guard for one of the top programs in the country, and one of the top academic schools in the country, Stanford. We’ve certainly had a lot of opportunities to watch him play, and we are very excited about having him become a Pittsburgh Steeler. I want to present you with your first Steelers jersey. Eventually we will get the number right, but since you are our first round draft pick, you get number one to start with.
Re: Thoughts on being drafted:
It’s a life changing moment. As far as the Steelers, I was really excited to be chosen. The organization speaks for itself, and they have arguably one of the best, if not the best fan bases in the world. I am just excited. It’s a great football city. I couldn’t be happier really.
Re: Not being selected earlier but ending up with the Steelers:
Getting drafted by the Steelers definitely helped overcome the disappointment. I really didn’t go into it with any expectations. I knew the draft had a ton of variables, a lot of stuff that can happen, with trades. When the Steelers picked me, I was more than overjoyed.
Have you changed from being a Seahawks fan to a Steelers fan?
I definitely have, not a Seahawks fan anymore.
Were you one of the fans whining about the officiating in Super Bowl XL?
I have no comment.
Re: Andrew Luck being your roommate:
This past season he was.
Are you guys still close, and did you talk yesterday?
Yeah, when he was drafted I gave him a quick call.
Did he call you after you were picked?
He sent me a text. I called him after. I was pretty busy. It was a whirlwind of events.
What have the last 24 hours been like?
I am still trying to catch my breath. I’ve gotten a bunch of texts and phone calls from people saying congrats. It’s an exciting time. I am just really going to enjoy it and enjoy the moment. At the same time I am just excited to finally have a team, get started and play some football.
Re: Expectations for this season:
I have no clue. I just want to play football. I have a long way to go. Obviously, I haven’t done anything. The journey is just beginning.
Did your dad play rugby, and when did you start playing football?
Yeah, my parents had no clue about football. Now they know a little bit more. My mom has educated herself quite a bit. I started playing football in high school.
Did you play rugby?
No.
Re: Being an instant celebrity to Steelers’ fans:
I can’t really speak on that. I’ve never really been good with attention. I am just a typical lineman. I am going to have to get used to that.
Re: Meeting the Steelers at the combine and expectations of where you might be drafted:
I met with them at the combine. As I said before, it’s hard to tell with the draft. A lot of teams like to play games, a smoke-and-mirrors approach. I did not have any expectations.
Re: School obligations:
I have one more quarter after this. Then I will have my degree and be done.
How did you wind up playing your position?
I played both offense and defense in high school. When I got to college I was an offensive lineman, definitely. I played all three positions my freshman year. I moved to right guard my second year and played there since.
What did you like about that position?
It was fun at Stanford. I pulled a lot, and I was blocking out in space. I just enjoyed it.
Re: Stanford’s offensive line:
As a program, as linemen, we were just a group of guys that enjoyed working. We weren’t worried about the fanfare or attention. We all liked moving the football and getting rushing yards. That’s what we were about.
Were you surprised you landed with the Steelers?
Like I said before, the draft is so hard to gage where you are going to go. I am just overjoyed to be a Steeler. That’s about all I can say.
Re: Only giving up one sack in three years:
There were probably a couple more where Luck kind of saved me. There is one in the books.
Was it the guy from UCLA?
Yeah, Brian Price.
Re: Taking pride in being athletic and aggressive
Definitely I take pride in that. It’s one of those things you try to work on every day to get better. As a ball player that helps a lot.
