SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS

July 17, 2023

Kris Abrams-Draine

Missouri Tigers

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We have our first Missouri Tiger, and he is ready for your questions.

Q. Hey, Kris, I'm curious. Obviously you're going to see a lot of talented wide receivers next year. Anyone in particular you're excited to go up against, maybe one wearing red and black next year?

KRIS ABRAMS-DRAINE: Dominick? Yeah, that's my dog. I'm excited to compete against him on opposite teams. Another one is Will from Vanderbilt. We played on the same seven-on-seven team in high school.

Q. We did some podcasts together last year, and the secondary all stayed together. You and Ennis, J.C. This is a group that was solidified, one of the best in the conference last year, but you all decided to come back and make another run at this thing. What went into that decision, and do you feel like this could be one of the better secondaries in the SEC?

KRIS ABRAMS-DRAINE: Yes, I feel like this is going to be one of the best secondaries in the SEC, but everybody had their own decision, so I feel like they just made their best decision for them.

We didn't really talk about it together like we was coming back. We just wanted everybody to make the best decision for them.

Q. What can you tell us about D.J. James, you and him now, both big-time players in the SEC? How does that feel to be at that spot with one of your buddies, and what can you tell us about him as player and a person?

KRIS ABRAMS-DRAINE: D.J. is like my best friend, but he has been locking receivers down since high school. When I changed to DB, I asked him a lot of questions because I knew he would lead me the right way. He is a great person too.

Q. What are his best qualities as a corner?

KRIS ABRAMS-DRAINE: He got perfect technique. He is patient on his back pedal, and he is natural. He is a natural cornerback.

Q. So, Kris, you're ending your third season as a defensive back for the Tigers. Now, unlike your past two seasons, you have the same defensive coordinator, so what's the benefit this offseason, and are there any advantages to not having to learn a new defensive system and being in the same system that you were the previous year?

KRIS ABRAMS-DRAINE: Yes, I think it's an advantage because if you know the plays, we just can change the little things in the play to make it better.

Q. Another one about D.J. Who was the better high school player?

KRIS ABRAMS-DRAINE: Me (laughing).

Q. Any reason why?

KRIS ABRAMS-DRAINE: Because I played everything. I didn't just play defense.

Q. I'm curious, what's going to be a great season for you? What does that look like at the end of the season?

KRIS ABRAMS-DRAINE: If we have a winning record, and we go to a New Year's Six bowl game.

Q. Last year a lot of the talk as the season progressed was you and the NFL, those words becoming synonymous. When you start hearing stuff like that and you come into the season knowing that you can continue to accentuate your skills, when you think about the NFL, is that something that's a goal for you that you think that that's attainable coming into next year?

KRIS ABRAMS-DRAINE: I feel like every player in college's goal is to go to the NFL, but I feel like I can't think about that because that will just block what I'm doing right now. I just be where my feet at.

Q. As you just mentioned, you said that you can play everything, and of course, you came to Mizzou. You started off as a receiver. Then you played corner. You played special teams. How does that versatility help you in regards to the next level, and do you believe that makes you more valuable to NFL teams come draft time?

KRIS ABRAMS-DRAINE: Yes, because if you can do more, then there will always be a spot for you. Like special teams, a lot of players in the next level have to play special teams, so I feel like I might as well do it now and get used to it before I just go to the NFL and try to do it there.

Q. Is the Senior Bowl in your future, and how has Luther Burden III helped you be better?

KRIS ABRAMS-DRAINE: Being from Mobile, Alabama, I used to watch the Senior Bowl every year, so it's always been a dream of mine to come back to my hometown and play.

Yeah, Luther, he is a great athlete. I feel like he is one of the best athletes I have seen in my whole life. He is just a playmaker. He gets the ball, he is going to make something happen.

Q. Kris, Missouri has been a .500 program since you arrived, and since 2019 Missouri has gone .500 in the regular season. To take the next step, like you said, to get to New Year's Six bowl game, to get to a winning record, is that something that's conscious that's talked about, and how do you get to that level?

KRIS ABRAMS-DRAINE: That's what we've been working on the whole offseason is finding a way to finish those close games and come over the hump. So we've just been making the players be accountable. It's a player-led team now, so everybody is accountable.