Duke Preston, Director Player Engagement, Bucs: Better Men Make Better NFL Players

Duke Preston shares with Pro Mindset host Craig Domann his goals and challenges as Director of Player Engagement for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Duke is a former University of Illinois offensive lineman who was drafted in the 5th round by the Buffalo Bills in 2006. He also played for the Dallas Cowboys. After the NFL, he initially worked for the Notre Dame Athletic Department and football team before Lovie Smith hired him to the Bucs.

Duke has a unique perspective since his father, Raymond Preston, played for the San Diego Chargers for nine years. Duke played in the NFL for 5 years and now he has been with the Bucs front office for the past 5 years.

Duke mentors the rookies in helping them make the adjustment to the NFL. He asks his rookies to answer the following three identity questions: Who am I? Why am I here? Where am I going? The answers to those three questions tell Duke a lot about the player’s identity, maturity, motivation and likelihood of success in the NFL.

Duke is a big part of the Bucs pre-draft evaluation process in that he interviews prospects at the all-star games and NFL Combine. He uses a unique approach to find out about a prospect’s mindset and whether he has a growth mindset or a fixed mindset. In this Pro Mindset Podcast, he shares a lot of nuggets about how he gets to know players and their motivations so he can assist the organization in drafting the best and most-likely-to-succeed players.