North Dakota running back Tyler Hoosman’s speed and dominance on the field are only just the surface of who he is as an athlete. In 10 games with the team, he had 143 attempts for 882 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also had 15 receptions for 99 yards. As a handful of teams are in search of a running back in the draft, Hoosman hopes to continue being a playmaker.

Thanks to the Chicago Bears, Hoosman’s love of football was born from a young age.

“I actually got into tackle football around the age of seven, so I was pretty young actually. I think one big thing that sparked my interest was my family and I had a Super Bowl party actually one year for the Chicago Bears.” Hoosman said. “It definitely sparked some interest. So I brought that up to my parents that the following year I wanted to try out for football. And ever since then, I just fell in love with the game.”

This love spilled into high school when he got more serious with the sport. Early on, he knew he was undersized, but by his later high school career, he progressed into a better football player and colleges saw that, too.

“Once I hit my growth spurt, learned how my body worked and started really working hard in the off seasons, I definitely saw some progress. My junior and definitely my senior year, I blew up. I had, I think, just shy of 1,700 yards, 30 touchdowns, and helped my team make it all the way to state my senior year. And then obviously, the offers and whatnot started coming in,” Hoosman said.

Now getting the opportunity to be in the NFL, Hoosman’s staying busy with physical and mental preparation. He compared it to what he’s had to do for Pro Day, noting the differences in getting ready for what is needed to be ready for the draft.

“But we shifted that now into position-based exercises and workouts and stuff like that to make sure we’re fully prepared for minicamp. But it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a process. But like I said, it’s been a lot of fun.” Hoosman said.

And this preparation can attest to what teams will like from Hoosman if he joins their team. Since he faced adversity, he knows just how important hard work matters in this league.

“I’ve had to work for a lot of the skills that I have right now, and I’m really resilient with myself and determined. I’m confident enough to know that I belong in the league. I belong and could definitely excel and be an asset to any team. Hoosman said. “I also take great pride in just being the student of the game, making sure I’m prepared week in and week out with my opponents and studying tape. So even after facing a bunch of diversity, I stayed just determined and never lost focus on my goals.”

And if Hoosman gets his shot, he could easily become the next playmaker at such an early part of his career. He’s excited for the next generation of football players to make their mark on the league.

“It’s great to see these young guys coming in and progressing into the league because every year that the League is changing a little bit and guys are always putting their own little craft on their skill sets and whatnot,” Hoosman said. “So this new generation is it’s time for us to step in and make an impact on the league.”

Now, Hoosman will enjoy the ride in the last hours before this year’s draft. He knows his dreams are only just beginning whether his name is called in the seven-round draft or from a team during free agency.

“it’s a big kind of relief because you could finally say that you’ve made it to this point, you’ve accomplished majority of the things leading up to it that you’ve always wanted to.” Hoosman said. “Obviously, there’s one more step, and that is to either get your name called on draft night or to get that call from a free agent wise, from a team…But you always got to make sure that you’re ready and prepared at any given moment to make an impact on a team.”

Focusing on the end goal is what led Hoosman to be a day before the biggest job interview of his life. His advice to those who have similar goals is to keep pursuing them.

“I think just a huge thing is follow your dreams and don’t let anyone else dictate what you can or can’t do because there’s obviously always going to be someone who’s ruined against you and usually when you’re doing well, you’re going to even get more people that are ruined against you,” Hoosman said.

“If you truly want something, you got to make sure that you’re obviously doing the right things, putting in the work, and like I said, be a student of the game and whatnot, but just because one team doesn’t want you or one year isn’t going your way, that shouldn’t dictate your whole career.”