Rookie running back Trevor Etienne says he still gets chills thinking about the moment he found the Carolina Panthers were going to draft him.
“Nerve-wracking,” says Etienne about waiting until the fourth round to get his life-changing phone call. “I was in there feeling like they didn’t have my phone number. It’s like, ‘Will they call your name?’ You don’t know.”
Etienne went from three stressful days waiting to hear his name called in the NFL draft to cracking a smile a few weeks later in Los Angeles because fellow rookie Matthew Golden jokingly called him Travis Etienne Jr., his older brother who plays running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
To the younger Etienne, there’s nothing wrong with being called by the name of someone he looked up to his entire life. Trevor often leaned on Travis during his three collegiate seasons, playing two years for the Florida Gators before transferring to play for the Georgia Bulldogs last year and emerging as a top running back prospect.
Trevor Etienne sat down with Sports Illustrated during the NFLPA Rookie Premiere earlier this month to discuss his draft moment, learning from Panthers coach Dave Canales and how he plans to get where his brother has been as a starting running back in the NFL the past four years. Etienne also shares his hobbies, which include learning Spanish and playing ping pong with Panthers offensive guard Robert Hunt.
Sports Illustrated: Trevor, I know you’ve been practicing your Spanish with some of the people here at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere, but what else have you taken away from these meetings with businesses and potential sponsors?
Trevor Etienne: It’s been huge. It’s a huge help. I feel like building these connections and meeting new people, you know, these connections could last you a lifetime. It’s nice to get out there and meet new people and see who’s behind the scenes and making everything go.
SI: Just being here, away from football, after a whirlwind of a few weeks post draft, has that also been good for you?
TE: Definitely. It gives you time to sit back, relax, think about what you’ve been through and what’s going on. It gives you time to collect and reflect also.
SI: The last few weeks since being drafted by the Panthers, has it been a lot of reflecting or more looking ahead?
TE: Honestly, it’s been go, go, go. I’m taking it one day at a time. You want to reflect, but it’s time to start building and preparing for the future, and just taking it one day at a time. You can only control what you can control. That’s been my approach to everything, taking it one day at a time and getting ahead on what I can get ahead on.
SI: Take me to that process of waiting to hear your name called. You waited until the fourth round to get that call from the Panthers. Was that pretty nerve-wracking or what you expected?
TE: Man, definitely, nerve-wracking. I was in there feeling like they didn’t have my phone number. It’s like, ‘Will they call your name?’ You don’t know. You don’t know which team will draft you, you don’t know when they’re going to draft you. You’re just sitting there for three days waiting for a phone call and hoping your name gets called or that phone gets called as early as possible.
SI: When you got the Panthers’ phone call, what did you feel?
TE: I didn’t know what to feel. I was excited, though. I almost started running around the house. I tried to keep it together when I was on the phone with them, but man, there’s no feeling like it. Words can’t really describe it. It’s, man … I still get the chills just thinking about it. Words can’t really describe that moment, ever.
SI: Being on that field for Panthers’ rookie minicamp and working with coach Dave Canales, how was that for you?
TE: It’s been great. Just getting a chance to learn the system. You get out there and watch it become reality. Getting to work has been a blessing. A lot of this process, you know, we go through the combine process, and then we got the draft. You're really out of that football atmosphere for so long, so it’s just been great to be back in that atmosphere back on the field.
SI: Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden just walked by calling you Travis Etienne. Is he giving you a hard time? Does that ever get annoying hearing people call you Travis instead of Trevor?
TE: No, that’s my boy Matt. Matt be joking, but that don’t matter. There’s nothing bad about being called Travis. I look up to my brother. He’s doing great things and I’m excited to see what he does in the future, too.
SI: How much did you lean on your brother throughout the whole draft process? Was he a big help?
TE: He’s been a huge help. Just watching me, he can see when I’m frustrated or can tell when I’m uncomfortable in certain situations. He’s that guide for me. I can go to him whenever for whatever and he’s there for me. It’s been a huge blessing. Not a lot of people have that person or have someone you grew up with in the same household who played the same position at the highest level that you can. He’s where I want to be. I’d be a fool not to use him and learn as much as I can from him.
SI: How helpful have the veterans in your running back room been? There’s Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle.
TE: They’ve been super helpful, just showing me how to navigate the way around the facility and how to become a pro, helping me understand the playbook. Those guys have been great, nothing but amazing. I can’t wait to get to work.
SI: How about your fellow rookie … I don’t want to butcher his first name, Tetairoa McMillan.
TE: No. That’s T-Mac. I asked him earlier, actually today. I was like, ‘Bro, how do I pronounce your first name?’ (Tries to pronounce it). Teta … see, I’m going to stop. T-Mac, my bad, bro. I don’t want to mess up your first name. We’ll just call him T-Mac and leave it at that.
SI: You guys have been hitting it off as teammates?
TE: It’s a great atmosphere around the whole building. Everyone gets along, everyone comes to work, everybody bonds well together and we all have the same goal at the end of the day. The same end goal, so it makes it that much easier to come in and be yourself.
SI: That was a pretty good O-line in Carolina last year. Have you gotten a chance to talk to those guys, like Robert Hunt?
TE: Definitely. So me and Big Rob played ping pong. I haven’t beat him yet, but it’s getting close. I’m almost there. The last game we played was real close, it came down to the last point. So, yeah, just spending time with those guys, getting to know them, building those relationships and forming those bonds with new teammates. I’m just excited about the future.
SI: We were talking earlier about how you’re learning Spanish and want to practice more. You should practice with your coach Dave Canales. He’s Mexican-American.
TE: I’m sure he does [know some Spanish]. I’m going to have to try for sure.
SI: How’s it been getting to know Dave Canales and picking his brain?
TE: It’s been great. Somebody in that position who knows so much about the game. You can’t do nothing but help be a sponge around people like that. I’m just thankful to be coached by one of the best in the business and … the best in the business. I’m really blessed to be in that position.
SI: So you play ping pong, you’re bilingual. Any other hobbies you have or anything else you have an interest in?
TE: We working on bilingual, we working on it. … I love bass fishing, in particular. There are many things I like to do. I really like to be outdoors. I don’t want to sit and play video games all day, but I do play [video] games. But I really like to get outdoors and explore the world. There’s a lot of new things to see.
SI: Your Panthers teammate Xavier Legette is pretty country, he likes being outdoors, too. Maybe you guys can connect for a few activities.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Trevor Etienne Q&A: Panthers Rookie Talks About Learning From Big Brother.
