Closing in on the end of the third round on Friday, the Bucs selected safety Mike Edwards out of Kentucky. Edwards – who is considered a turnover creating, versatile defensive back – had to wait until the 99th overall pick to hear his name called. After he was taken by the Bucs, he got the chance to speak with the Tampa Bay media on a conference call.

Here is the entire transcript of Edwards’ comments:

On what kind of interaction he had with the Bucs in the draft process and whether he was expecting to get picked from them
“I talked to them a lot during this process, during the Combine, Senior Bowl, had meetings with them. I didn’t have a top 30 with them but they showed a lot of interest. I was ready for my name got called, I know it was kind of late, it wasn’t surprising but it was exciting to hear my name being called. There is no other better place to get called than Tampa Bay, it’s a great place, I hear a lot of good things about the team, and I’m just happy to be apart of the organization.”

On what’s it like having to wait to hear your name called
“You got to be patient, especially when you know you’re getting called sometimes or you think your name’s going to be called soon or whatever. You got to be patient, you know you’re really excited and just got to be patient. That’s how I was, so I was ready for my name to be called, like I said, I can’t wait, there’s some more picks left this night in this draft. It was just amazing when I found out I was coming to Tampa Bay.”

On how much does he like that the Bucs can use him all over the field, including blitzing
“I love it, that’s why I did a lot of things. I played safety, corner, nickel, I played everything on the back end, so I feel like I can help the Bucs as soon as possible in any way possible. I feel like wherever they need me I can do, whether it’s blitz, cover, deep middle, anything, I feel like I can fit into that scheme really well.”

On how important is his ability to close on the ball for his game
“It’s important because I feel like I’m a ball guy. I love to ball, I love getting the ball, I love taking away the ball. That’s what I harp on, taking it away, getting turnovers, fumbles, interceptions, whatever it may be, I feel like that’s what I do. I’m a playmaker, so I can definitely help the team out by taking the ball away, getting interceptions, forced fumbles, whatever it may be, but I feel like I’m definitely a playmaker on the back end.”

On how he handles getting beaten on pass, which happens to everyone on the NFL level
“The best guys is the ones that get beat and don’t think about it, just bounce back from it. Like you said, every DB no matter who you are is going to get beat at one point, face adversity. This is how you face that adversity and I feel like I’m one of the best guys at facing adversity. I’ve faced a lot of adversity my whole entire life, so just bouncing back from those things. Like you said, safety and DB as a whole is a tough position to play especially in this league where they pass the ball a lot almost every down, so I feel like I’m ready for that challenge. I know there’s a lot of great quarterbacks in the league right now, but I’m a great DB, I’m a great player, so, I don’t have to explain myself, I’m ready for the challenge out here.

On his leadership role at Kentucky
“Yeah I was a great leader there. I started out being a lead by example guy and I’ve grown to a more vocal leader in past years. I was the only guy in Mark Stoops’ history since he’s been there to be captain two years in row. I was a two-year captain, and that was a big part as far as that, so, me being a two-year captain and just leading my team to one of the best seasons we ever had at Kentucky, I feel like I’m a great leader. I can come in and lead the team, lead Tampa Bay, and there’s nothing wrong with saying a rookie can’t lead a team. I feel like I can be one of those leaders coming in inside the game as soon as possible.

On what players he looked up to growing up and tried to mold his game after
“Older guys it was like Sean Taylor, Ed Reed, Champ Bailey, guys like that. These recent guys, I like Tyraan Mathieu, Jamal Adams, Earl Thomas, guys like that, so those guys let me fit for how I play the game. I’m a ball guy like I said, I play big on the back end, I just like to make a play, so they got a great player in me.”

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