Shortly after becoming the 44th overall selection of the 2011 NFL Draft, Boise State wide receiver Titus Young had a conference call with the media. Via the Detroit Lions, you can check out a transcript of that call below.
On his thoughts about being drafted by the Detroit Lions
"I just thought about how good God was, first and foremost. Just with all the hard work and everything and for it to finally pan out and actually seeing it and seeing is believing for me. When I see things I become a real firm believer. Like my mom says, 'You've got to see it in black and white for it to be true. So I feel like that I'm just very excited that Detroit picked me, the Detroit Lions. That's my mother's hometown; that's where my family is originally from. I'm just so excited."
On the opportunity to play alongside WRs Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson
"Calvin Johnson is extremely real already. They have to use a lot of people to guard him already. I feel like with me coming in and hopefully coming in and contributing early, if the Lord says the same, I feel like the sky is the limit for the Detroit Lions and the City of Detroit. I feel like when they come to the games, they're going to be able to come and have a lot of fun and a lot of entertainment."
On how long it's been since he's been in Detroit
"It's actually been a while... Actually it was my grandfather's funeral... Actually in 1998, that's when my grandfather passed and we went there for his funeral. That was the last time I was able to be there. It's a blessing to be able to get back there be there for good."
On what he thinks his grandfather would think of him playing for the Lions
"I know he would be very proud; I know my auntie would be very proud - my Auntie Valerie - she passed away.
On where all his emotion comes from
"It comes from family. My roots are in Detroit, like I said. Just the emotion of actually being able to be back in the family's town. Like, that's my home now; we'll take care of Detroit and I know they'll take care of me.
On how he would feel about being the third receiver in the Lions offense after being the primary receiver at Boise State
"That's fine. I feel like I'm going to fit my place and my role exactly the way I need to be. I don't need to do nothing extra. If they want me to come in for one play in the game, I'm going to come in for that one play and give them all I can. If they want me to play the whole game, I'm going to play that whole game and give them my all because this is what I love to do; this is what I've been loving to do and I've been doing it ever since I was two."
On where he was hoping to be drafted
"Like I told my parents the other day before the draft, I said, 'Mother, I'm going to be completely honest with you, I'm going to be a little upset automatically if I'm not chosen No. 1 just because I'm a competitor. That's just something that's always been about me, but that's not like the realistic gist of everything - I'm just a competitor. That's why I wore No. 1 my senior year because I believed I am No. 1 and I do everything to be No. 1 and I wanted to be on the No. 1 team and if my team is not No. 1, I want to make them to be able to get to No. 1. I know Barry Sanders, I know a lot about him. I know that he went to Detroit and he wanted to win and his whole thing was about winning and unfortunately he wasn't able to win as much as I believe that when I come in that we're going to be able to do, but I know that the whole thing is really just about winning. I feel like just being the winner that I am and coming around some more winners to sharpen me up, I feel like we're all going to be winners in Detroit. Not just me, but the community, the kids out there - they're going to know that the Detroit Lions are here to stay. We're not just anybody, we're coming to play."
On how much contact he had with the Lions before the draft
"I don't even remember talking to any of them. I just remember at the Senior Bowl, (Shawn Jefferson), I just remember him, and after the first day of practice I had at the Senior Bowl, he told me, 'Hey, you're dropping the ball because you're not getting your head around quicker; in this game, the ball is going to come quicker.' I just listened and I said, 'Oh, I've always loved a coach that actually watched me and told me what I'm doing wrong.' I've always loved for a coach to tell me when I'm doing something wrong. When he told me, and I took that coaching into the next day and guess what? I don't believe I had a dropped pass. But, I say that to say this: I knew that he saw something in me; when I looked him in his eyes through those glasses, I'm saying, 'This man wants me,' and I said I want to play for him because he already got me better in two seconds. Then, right after that, I saw him at the combine. So it was kind of like God was just moving and put him in a position to see me and be around me and get to know me and I got to know him and got to actually play for him. So hopefully we can just move forward and keep building our relationship."
On him having been referred to as a poor-man's DeSean Jackson
"I've never been another man's nothing. I've always known that I've been Titus Young from Day 1. My mother named me Titus Demetrius Young, she didn't name me nothing else and I know what I was. I know who I am and I know as people are going to compare you to people but God made me to be me and he made me to be Titus Demetrius Young. You can compare me all you want to, but I'm no man's poor man."
"My initials my whole life has been T.D. Young; so it's been Titus Demetrius Young - 'Touchdown' Young. So I just feel like football is just me ever since I was born and now I can go play some more football with Detroit."
SB Nation has full coverage of the 2011 NFL Draft at its NFL Draft hub and NFL Draft blog, Mocking The Draft. For more on the Detroit Lions, make sure to check out Pride Of Detroit and SB Nation Detroit's NFL Draft StoryStream.