If Stephane Nembot gets selected during this week's NFL Draft, his family in Cameroon will not be aware. The former Colorado offensive tackle did not even tell them he played in the East-West Shrine Game or that he was invited to the NFL Combine.

“They don't understand anything about this process. They don't even know that I could have a shot at playing pro because I haven't told them,” Nembot said when asked about his immediate family in Africa.

“They know I am looking for a job because I just graduated from college but I know crazy things can happen with this [NFL Draft] process, so I don't want to get their hopes up and disappoint them,” he continued. “If and when I get my first pro check, I will let them know that I made it. But until then, nobody is going to know anything back home.”

Nembot originally came to the United States to play basketball, so he had little experience playing football when he arrived in Boulder as a freshman in 2011. Nembot moved from the defensive line to the offensive line early on during his college career and slowly progressed. But he is still a raw project, even after 31 starts at offensive tackle.

NFL.com Draft Analyst Chad Reuter ranked Nembot among the 10 most intriguing prospects in the East-West Shrine game. He then measured in at nearly 6-foot-7 and 322-pounds at the NFL Combine, and did 32 reps on the bench press ranking him third among the offensive linemen in attendance.

Former Buff and former NFL lineman Matt McChesney has worked with Nembot at his Six Zero Strength facility since the end of last season. Nembot credits McChesney for improving his footwork dramatically.

“The kid is a physical freak,” McChesney said of Nembot. “He is about as strong as they come and his arms are super long. He is built correctly for an offensive lineman. He is not going to get the little injuries that guys that aren't built well in the NFL get. But he often relies on that strength too much, and he knows that.

“He has a lot of work to do but if he goes to an NFL team that has a developmental coach, that is going to take him under his wing and not just ride him, I know damn well Steph is going to go in there and work his ass off and study. He can't play for a coach that is going to get mad at him for asking questions in the meeting room. There are some coaches that don't want to do that. They want to do the absolute minimum.”

NFL.com projects Nembot as a sixth or seven round selection, while some other mock drafts have him going unselected. Nembot is prepared for either scenario.

“I am not nervous,” he said. “I will be watching on TV like everybody, just waiting to see if my name is going to get called. If it doesn't get called, I will be ready to sign as a free agent and go to a training camp. I am ready for any outcome. We just have to wait and let it happen.”

Did anything about the process of preparing for the NFL Draft surprise you?

Stephane Nembot: “Playing in the East-West [Shrine game] and going to the NFL Combine, all of it was surprising because I never knew I would even be playing football and have a chance to play in the NFL.”

Was the process of participating in the NFL Combine invasive at all?

“You do have to strip down and walk on stage and then you are in rooms where all types of doctors are poking your body, and turning and pulling you to see if you are hurt. You talk to a lot of scouts. But at the end of the day, you know that not everybody has the privilege or opportunity to do it, so you really can't complain. It was a blessing.”

Talk more about working with Matt McChesney... what did you guys work the most on?

“We worked a lot on my footwork in terms of my technique. That is what we heard the most concern about, so that is what I am focusing on, even right now. I am focusing on technique, technique, and getting the proper foot steps. It was good working with Matt, we worked hard. I like him. It was a good learning experience.”

What mindset have you taken into this process? I'm sure you've heard the word raw used to describe you, but you are also described as a physical specimen...

“That is why I keep working. I am never going to be perfect. Nobody is going to be perfect but can you get better? That is the question. Yes, I can get better and I will keep getting better. Only other people will tell you you are great. You should never tell yourself you are great because then there is no learning curve for you. You are not going to learn anything if you tell yourself you are good. I have been getting better every time and the goal is to never stop getting better. I have to keep progressing every day.”

There are a lot of mock drafts out there. Have you looked at any of them?

“No, because at the end of the day [the people that create the mock drafts] are not the team that might draft you. I don't even bother looking at those type of things because we have seen guys they said were going to get drafted early that sometimes don't get drafted. And you see guys nobody even knew about that go high. So why bother? I will just wait.”

After you went back to visit Cameroon a couple years ago, you told me your dream was to build an orphanage back home. Is that still something you think about?

“That is my No. 1 goal, building an orphanage so I can help the kids back home in the village. I would also really like for my family to be able to come over here with me.”

When you reflect on your career at CU, what stands out?

“I haven't really been able to do that because after my school was done, I had to get ready for the East-West [Shrine game]. Then I had to get ready for the NFL Combine. Then I had to get ready for Pro Day. Then I had to get ready for the draft. So I haven't had time to think about it.”

If you could go back to being a high school senior again, would you still choose to sign with the Buffaloes?

“Yes sir, I don't regret anything. I am in this position because I went to the University of Colorado. I can only be thankful for the opportunity I had there. There were a lot of good memories. And even some of the bad memories, I choose to look at them as learning experiences.”

Stephane talked about the fact you worked a lot on his footwork. Could you give some details on?

Matt McChesney: “We tried to focus on putting his whole foot on the ground and then increasing his foot speed. Rather than trying to take one step to cover three yards, we had three or four steps so his feet aren't always off the ground when he takes on contact. That way he can actually use his freakish ability and strength and length in his upperbody. Stephane struggled with the bullrush before because of his footwork. The biggest misconception is that offensive linemen block people with their hands and grip. Sure, they toss people with their hands and grip, or hold, but if your feet aren't consistent, you are going to get butchered. He did a great job of acclimating and adjusting his feet so he can adjust to both guard positions and both tackle spots.”

The word most used to describe Stephane is raw...

“Steph has done a great job of developing athletically but he just hadn't been pushed to learn every position on the offensive line. That wasn't his fault. He played right tackle for so long that when he was forced to go to left [tackle] when [Jeromy] Irwin got hurt [last season], he was like a fish out of water for four games and it hurt him. He never played the guard positions. He has to play guard. If he goes anywhere past the third round, whether it is undrafted, fourth, fifth, sixth or seventh round, he is playing guard and he is going to play it every day in camp, every day in practice. He might be on the practice squad as a guard. 60 percent of what we did was guard sets and just cutting his footwork down and getting his hands on the ground to the floor. He was trying to go out of a two-point stance to set as a guard. I was like, 'Steph, this isn't Boulder anymore. You can't be in a two-point stance anymore, that is not the way the NFL is played.' That is just the way the spread offenses in college football are played. So he has a lot of work to do, but he knows that and he has a great work ethic.”

Stephane seems to have the right attitude about football and life. His main goal is to earn enough money to build an orphanage back in Africa...

“If in five years Stephane Nembot is out of the NFL, that is an indictment on the team that drafted him, not him. He is going to work hard. He is not going to be one of these idiot alpha male guys that are going to go after every girl in sight and drink and do whatever they want. He is not going to be the guy that just wants to tell girls in the club he is on the Jets or Giants or whoever. That is not what he is about, that is not him. By the way, I hate that guy, and he is everywhere in the NFL. The NFL preaches constantly about how they want high character people and you look around the locker room and it is just not that, it is a lie. So hopefully him being big and nice and intellectual, because he is very smart, isn't held against him. I am not going to sit here and say it will not.

“When I was a rookie in St. Louis, Ryan Fitzpatrick was in our draft class and he is an intellectual. He got picked on for being smart. It is like the NFL is the only place in the country where people, coaches and players, are going to sit around and criticize someone for being too smart. It is ridiculous, so hopefully Steph is not labeled like that. He has to understand the NFL is a meat-grinder. They are not there to help him emotionally or help him develop as a man mentally or acclimate to the United States anymore, all that stuff that CU helped him do. They are not going to do that so he now has to take it upon himself to do all those little things plus all the big things they want.”

It seems like Stephane could go anywhere from getting drafted in the fourth round to going undrafted...

“He is a total wildcard. I am on pins and needles right now. I was undrafted and I can't tell you how many times I have seen a guy get drafted and I am like, 'They really drafted this [expletive] guy?' There is zero job security for fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh round picks. There is a little bit of guaranteed money but it is not enough to go buy a house on the hill. I don't even think he cares where he goes or how he gets there, he just wants to go and get there and let the cards kind of fall where they may. He has to work harder than everybody else or at least be on par with everybody else.

“Cincinnati's offensive line coach loved him at Pro Day. We must have talked to him for about an hour about their expectations. That is a place I think he can go and develop. I am pretty sure they have multiple fifth, sixth and seventh round picks. If he is not drafted then I don't really know what the NFL is looking for because all I hear is fifth, sixth, seventh round players are all developmental players anyway. I think a lot of teams will be interested in him because of what he looks like. And after that, it is on him to develop as a player and acclimate to the NFL.”

The 2016 NFL Draft begins on Thursday night, but rounds four through seven will not be conducted until Saturday.