Shaq Thompson is headed for NFL limelight, whether he likes it or not

Shaq Thompson is frank: He doesn’t much like interviews. He’s a quiet guy, and he views talking about himself as a potential distraction from his team. Those are fair points. Unfortunately for him, he may have a difficult time avoiding the limelight after April 30.

Thompson is vying to become a first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He made his name off his athleticism and versatility, playing linebacker, safety and running back at Washington. He earned first-team All-American honors from the Associated Press, ESPN, CBS, Sports Illustrated and SB Nation as a junior this past season. Thompson is a do-everything defender who is perfectly happy to let his game speak for itself.

SB Nation caught up Thompson just after he got out of an American ethnic studies course in Seattle. He talked about the NFL Draft process, meeting up with old friends from the high school All-Star game circuit and the role he would like to play in the NFL. You can read the edited interview below. Despite his warning, Thompson had plenty to say.

Yeah, but I have other things to worry about. I’m going back to school, I’m taking classes right now. So that’s keeping my mind off of it.

My studies and just working out, getting ready. That’s about it. And relaxing.

Man, it’s just been stressful. But it’s been stressful and fun, though, honestly, because it’s just a dream that you’ve been wanting since you were a little kid and it’s starting to come true. But the whole process of just training for the whole combine, training for pro day, getting up each and every day and just working hard -- you just gotta know that you’re giving it your all. And then, when that’s all said and done, if teams want to come work you out, you gotta get ready for the workout, and you gotta get ready for visits.

And just being on flights, flying from place to place, stuff like that, that’s kind of a stressful part. But overall it’s fun. I’ve enjoyed everything, just meeting different people, seeing different organizations, facilities. Sometimes on trips you might run into somebody you know, from football or wherever you played, like an All-American Army game. So that’s the cool part, you never know who you’re going to see.

Nah, the class that I came in with, there’s a lot of us coming out like Todd Gurley, Duke Johnson, Nelson Agholar. You got Amari Cooper, you got Landon Collins, Stefon Diggs, Jameis Winston -- it’s just a lot of us, and the whole 2012 (high school) class that came out. If we see each other it’s like, man, because most of us played either in the Under Armor All-American game or the Army All-American game. So it’s just crazy to see people that came out in your class, come out in the same year all as juniors.

It’s a business, when it’s all said and done. Fighting for a job, fighting to feed your family, that’s really about it. Just go in there -- it’s the same game we’ve been playing since we were younger, it’s just that people are better, bigger, faster. Everybody’s good at the next level. You’ve just got to be able to compete.

My brother (cornerback Syd’Quan Thompson). And my cousin (Jaguars defensive back Peyton Thompson).

I was more of a Raiders fan. But I only liked the Raiders because my brother liked them.

Yeah.

It would mean something special, but you never know. I don’t know where I’m going to end up, honestly.

Nothing really, just talking to coaches and just getting different views of what people see of me, and just looking at different facilities. You don’t really get much. They just want to meet with you and get to know you.

What position do you want to play, or prefer, or something like that. I tell them I prefer linebacker but I’d play strong safety.

That’s just where I feel most comfortable. I’ve been playing that for three years, and I only played safety for a game or two.

No. Most teams I talked to said weakside linebacker. The Falcons (thought I am) more like a Kam Chancellor type, so kind of like the linebacker role. There’s just different views, but at the end of the day I just want to get drafted. It doesn’t matter what position, I just want to have the opportunity to compete.

I don’t know what undersized means. Height? Weight? I’m 233. There are linebackers playing at 228. Like Telvin Smith from Jacksonville, I think he’s, what, 228? So I just don’t understand the whole undersized thing. At the end of the day, if you can play football you can play football. It’s just about technique.

What they like: I’m athletic. I’m able to cover tight ends and running backs, I can play in the open field. I’m also able to play weakside backer -- inside backer and WILL backer, whatever you want to call it. So pretty much the same thing. I can cover, I can play in space. Athletic for a WILL linebacker, and that’s what most teams said they need. And the only thing they really said bad was just getting off of blocks.

I’m still young, I haven’t grown into my body yet, I’m only 20. So I still have lots of room to grow within my body.

Lavonte David, just because he’s an athletic WILL linebacker. He can cover tight ends, running backs and play in open space. I started watching Thomas Davis and Telvin Smith, just small linebackers like myself, or considered ‘undersized’ linebackers, who are starting currently on these teams. They just give hope, I guess, for us undersized linebackers.

I’m going home. I’m being with the people who always supported me. My mom, my brother, just family, cousins.

Nah. I don’t know what we’re going to do, honestly. I’ll probably have a better idea when I get there. It’s just going to be a family thing. No party or nothing.

I don’t have a style, I just want to be able to compete. Doesn’t matter if it’s the 3-4 or 4-3. I just want the opportunity to compete and find one position that I can call my own.

That’s my mom’s favorite teams so she’d be happy. But I haven’t really paid too much attention to the NFL, I’ve been focused on myself. I’m very independent, and just like, when I have time off I just like to relax. I don’t watch football. I feel like that’s my way to get away from football, just that when I’m home I relax, watch TV and stuff like that.

I don’t really pay attention to these mock drafts because they’re basically just for social media, honestly. They’re not 100 percent correct, because you don’t know what’s going to happen until April 30, until May 2. So I don’t really pay attention to that, Mel Kiper and all that stuff. That’s irrelevant to me. I’m just going to wait.

I just go home, lay in my bed, and I watch Netflix or play games -- just, you know getting my mind off of football. I’m enjoying the process, but I’ll be ready once it’s all said and done and it’s time to go.