Chatting with Jermail Porter, wrestler-turned-lineman.

[Mark Farinella]

(Photo courtesy of the Akron [Ohio] Beacon Journal)

Jermail Porter, a collegiate wrestler while at Kent State, took his first steps toward becoming an offensive lineman in the NFL on Friday when he attended the first practice of the Patriots' rookie minicamp.

Porter will be following in the footsteps of Stephen Neal, the 1999 NCAA champion, who became a Patriot in 2001 and took over as the starting right guard in 2004.

Here's what Porter said about his potential transition between sports:

Q: How excited are you to be here?
A: I’m very excited to have this opportunity. I appreciate the whole Patriots organization and the coaches for just giving me a chance to prove what I can do. I’m learning every day and I’m grateful for this opportunity. It’s a different world for me.

Q: How did the Patriots find you?
A: here were a few connections with my college … they said they had a guy who was eager to learn, which I am, very much so. It just kind of took off from there.

Q: How new is everything to you?
A: I’m pretty new. I didn’t play high school or college, and obviously, I didn’t even play the peewee because I was always over the weight limits. I ended up wrestling, go figure. So this is a whole new experience for me. It’s a whole new world.

Q: What was your reaction when the Patriots called?
A: "Oh my God … this is awesome." I was a little nervous, but this is a heck of an opportunity. I’m willing to try to make the most of it.

Q: Was this something you wanted or someone else suggested?
A: This is something I wanted. I’ve been thinking about something like this since my junior year in college. I wanted to pursue this after college, but I wasn’t quite sure where to start. Fortunately, some people pointed me in the right direction, and here I am.

Q: Are you aware of Stephen Neal's story?
A: I watched a lot of wrestling film on Stephen Neal, first and foremost, because he’s probably the greatest heavyweight in college of all time, and he’s known internationally. So I watched a lot of film on him because this was the avenue he took. It just seemed like it could be a possible transition for me, too.

Q: What translates from wrestling to football?
A: The leverage, balance, footwork … that kind of stuff, at least so far as I’m learning. It all transfers over and it’s very much a part of football as it is in wrestling.

Q: How are you being received by the Patriots?
A: Coach Scar (Dante Scarnecchia) and all those guys were very patient with me. I’m learning … I’m the most inexperienced guy here, so I’m learning every second.

Q: Do you feel totally lost?
A: For a good part, I’m maybe 5 percent in there. My body’s there, but I’m catching up. I feel more informed now and I know more after this first practice than I did before I came in here.