AUBURN, Ala. – The second-fastest linebacker at the NFL Scouting Combine, Eugene Asante attracted attention with his blazing 4.48 40-yard dash.
“I think I opened some eyes but I’ve always got a chip on my shoulder,” Asante said. “I feel like a sleeper in every room I walk into. I’m excited to wake people up to the type of player I am.”
After his third and final season on the Plains, Asante led his Senior Bowl team with six solo tackles Feb. 1 in Mobile, then shifted to preparing for the Combine and Auburn’s March 24 Pro Day.
“You’ve been training for this your whole life,” said Asante, who focused on pass coverage skills, shedding and beating blocks leading up to this week’s NFL Draft. “Those are the things I’m continuing to home in on, understanding the mental aspect of the game. When I get to the National Football League, there’s a mental component that transcends the process. I’m trying to improve on that every single day.”
After serving on the scout team in 2022 following his transfer from North Carolina, Asante led the Tigers in tackles in 2023 before serving as a team captain last season.
“You pray for an opportunity to come to a university like this,” he said. “I’m extremely grateful for what this university has done for me, the opportunity, the platform and the everlasting friendships with my teammates and the Auburn family.”
Asante credits his three seasons at Auburn with preparing him for the pros.
“I always think about how my father would look at me, and what I’ve grown into,” Asante said. “Trying to be a good example to the youth and the people who support Auburn football. Ultimately, I want to be the best man, the best father one day, the best Christian I could be. That’s the biggest thing I could leave with this program.”
Asante seeks to complement his speed with pass rushing ability, being a physical run stopper, and covering backs and tight ends on pass plays.
“I want to make myself a complete football player,” Asante said, “and show them I can do different things that will separate me in terms of this draft class. The intangibles, the effort, that’s always going to be there. That’s who I am. I’m trying to show that to scouts, have fun with this process and live within this moment.”
When teams ask Asante why they should draft him, he responds the way he tries to play, with swiftness and certainty.
“I’m someone who truly cares about the game of football,” Asante said. “I’m going to come in every day, compete and put my head down. It’s like college all over again, that first day on campus, I’m trying to prove myself.”
All Asante asks for from NFL teams is a chance, like the one Auburn coach Hugh Freeze provided for him. He’s unconcerned with who, where, or when.
“Coach Freeze and his staff gave me an opportunity,” he said. “I’m forever grateful and indebted to them for that opportunity. I’m so grateful for an opportunity and whoever does that (in the NFL) will be making a great selection.”