Name: Alex Pihlstrom
School: University of Illinois 
Position: C/OG
Height: 6-5
Weight: 302

Q: What goals did you set and/or accomplish in your final collegiate season? 

The team goal that we had in mind was to make the Big Ten Championship which we came up just short with, but we were closer than we have ever been in my 6 years at Illinois and I trust that those guys will have a pretty good shot next year to make it. My personal goal was to just get 1% better every day, because I was playing a new position, there were just so many things to work on that I just wanted to focus on one thing a day and improve on it. I was very fortunate enough to get Big 10 All Second Team Center in a great class of centers and was just honored to be a part of it.

Q: What would your coaches and teammates say about the type of player you are?

My coaches and teammates would say that I am a smart, tough, dependable football player which is the type of players that Coach B and the Illinois staff is looking for. They had a lot of faith in me this year at center allowing me to make all the run block and protection calls for the offensive line, which was really important that I knew the gameplan inside and out every single week.

Q: When you are studying film, what are the things you focus on to improve your game?

When studying film, the things that I focus on is overall fronts and tendencies that defenses like to play and overall what blitzes or coverages that they could play from the alignment that they are in. As individual players, I like to see what their favorite moves are, or what moves worked on people in the past in order to take away what they want to do the most and make them feel uncomfortable with their 3rd/4th favorite move instead of their 1st.

Q: What separates you from the other pro prospects at your position? 

What separates me from the other pro prospects at my position, is my ability to play all 5 positions and know the techniques and the assignments of all 5 of them. That not only helps me at those 5 positions, but helps to know what the guys next to me are doing and things I could do to make their life a little easier or give them help in tougher situations.

Q: What is your offseason plan to train and prepare for professional opportunities?

Right now, I am with Triple F and Lee Smith in Knoxville, Tennessee training for the Illinois pro day. We work with trainers Rich Burnett and Emily Turnbull for speed and weights, and then offensive line skill with Lee and his friends from around the NFL.

Q: What kind of strengths and abilities will you bring to a team that will stand out both on and off the field?

My strengths that I could bring to a team that will stand out both on and off the field would my versatility, knowledge and physicality that I bring to the game and into every aspect of my life. I don’t do things below 100% and always finish what I start. That is good on a football field, but also everything in life, because you are going to have bad days, it happens to everyone. But grit and determination always are something that people are looking for because it is special and not everyone has it.

Q: What is your final pitch to the NFL and any other pro leagues?

My final pitch to the NFL and any other pro leagues would be that I’ve had success in just 3 years of playing offensive line and I’m still learning something new every day about the position. My versatility to play all positions is very valuable as well as continuing to get better every single day in order to be the best player that I can become, hopefully with your team.