‘Used to Daydream in That Small Town’
Shades of John Cougar Mellencamp. Sadiq didn’t grow up in a small, small town but he was nurtured in the middle of a medium-sized town in the otherwise sparsely populated southeastern corner of Idaho.
And he did all right there. Starting at RB, he and his team when he was in seventh grade won a national flag football championship in Las Vegas. Then he spent one season in high school in Arimo, ID, before moving to Idaho Falls, where he helped lead Skyline HS to three consecutive state titles — at WR, not yet at TE — and earned Idaho Player of the Year recognition as a senior.
“It’s awesome,” he said of coming out of that environment to star at Oregon and now start the next phase of his career as a Round 1 pass-catching NFL tight end. “You get to represent something a bit bigger than yourself. It means something to those people back home and especially all the people that have helped me get to this point.”
Moveable Feast, Memorable Feats
How many positions can Sadiq play? How about all?
“I think this season I took a snap at every single position except O-line,” he said. “It just kind of speaks volumes to my versatility and what I can do. I’m going to understand the whole playbook — that’s just kind of who I am. I need to know everything that’s going on. So if the coaches can put me in and trust me to be in multiple situations, obviously it’s going to benefit myself but more importantly it’s going to benefit the team.”
His career arc underscores that assessment. From RB in grade school to WR in high school to TE in college, he’s got the skills to play all skill positions.
“I’m a team guy,” he said. “If a coach needs me to play receiver, I’m going to play receiver. If he needs me to play running back, I’ll play running back. If eh needs me to play tight end, I’ll play tight end.”
Something to Fall Back On
If, after a long NFL playing career, or even a short one if things don’t work out, Sadiq could have a post-playing future in the strength and conditioning or training areas. He’s become known in his widening circle for designing workout and nutrition plans.
“I’ve always just like loved working out in the gym,” he said. “So I started really in high school, I’d start working out and stuff and then I’d always have friends reach out and be like, ‘Hey, can you make me a plan?’ So I started making them plans and stuff like that and it’s just something I kind of loved doing.”