New Orleans Saints: 1-on-1 Interview with WR Amara Darboh, Michigan

Every now and again there’s a player that has a story that’s incredible. Amara Darboh was at theSenior Bowl this past week. The journey that he has traveled is an affirmation of his character alone.

Who Dat Dish had a chance to talk with Amara for a couple of minutes after practice on Thursday. His physical stature was very stout for a wide receiver. Amara stands at 6-foot-2 and 220 lbs. In addition, Amara was the leading receiver at Michigan last year with 57 catches and 862 yards. Add seven touchdowns to that with a 15.1 yard average, and this guy was no doubt worthy of an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

What he’s done on the field is an accomplishment that most players dream of. However, the story that came before could be a movie in itself. Amara was born in Sierra Leone, Africa. In the first five years there were nearly 35,000 people killed in a civil war including his parents. Some relatives of his helped Amara escape to Senegal before getting to the U.S. He ended up landing in Des Moines, Iowa where a Christian group sponsored him.

Amara became friends with a kid named Max which turned into a close knit friendship. Max’s father happened to be the coach. Eventually, the family would legally adopt him. To say that he faced adversity is an understatement. The story wasn’t known to me until after the interview. It was an honor to get to talk this young man.

Dean Mullen: So Amara how did it go today?

Amara Darboh: I learned some of the new offenses and worked on a lot of route running. I picked up on stuff and felt comfortable as the week went on. We looked a lot smoother than day one.

DM: Did it help to have some more Michigan teammates around?

AD: It was good to have my guys around.

DM: Was it strange to have Ohio St. guys on the same team?

AD: Not really. I look at it as getting a chance to compete with the best of the best.

DM: What are you looking preparing for going forward?

AD: Of course I’m looking forward to playing in the game Saturday. I’m also gonna go back and work on my craft with route running and then get ready for the NFL Combine.

DM: Where are you from?

AD: I’m from Iowa

DM: Did you try and go to the University of Iowa?

AD: They were in my top five but in the end I chose Michigan