Had a chance to speak with Rahim Moore today as he prepares for the NFL Draft this weekend. As always, a great conversation with the former mouthpiece of the Bruins:

Jon Gold: How are you feeling today man, you ready for this?
Rahim Moore: “Aw man. I’m excited man. I’m nervous, but it’s a good nervous.”

You say you’re nervous, but you know you’re going to be drafted high, know you’re going to be a millionaire, know you’re going to be playing int he NFL – are you nervous just to find out where you’re going, or because of the whole life change?
RM: “It’s both – the nervous thing is about being ready to chomp up the whole lifestyle. I’m not going to be the regular Rahim anymore. I’m an NFL player. It’s here. I know I have to grow up and be a man. This Thursday, my whole life changes.”

Any target draft area?
RM: “I know I’ll be in a good place, a high pick. But it was tough for me trading a Baldwin Park Pop Warner helmet to a Dorsey helmet, and to trade my Dorsey helmet for my UCLA helmet. This could be the last time I put on a new helmet.”

A lot of players look at the draft as a culmination of all their hard work. The ones who succeed realize it’s just the first step. What does this day mean to you?
RM: “I’ll be happy, crying, but the minute I get drafted, an hour later, I’ll be trying to find a weight room. I’m going to be happy, but this is only the beginning. Now I’m a target, now I’m a rookie. You have to be able to show what you’re about. Some people get patient, ‘Yeah I made it.’ I haven’t made a tackle, I haven’t made a dollar.”

Any feeling about where you’ll end up?
RM: “I’ll watch the draft, and the No. 1 team can drop down to the 25th team and pick you up. Sometimes people think you’re going some place and you go nowhere near there. A lot of teams love my character, my passion for the game. It’s kind of like gambling. Should I get him now? Should I trade down for him? It is scary. My main thing is, if you pick me you won’t regret it. I became one of Coach Neuheisel’s players. He didnt regret me. I cherished him and he cherished me. I’m going to be that same guy at Dorsey, same guy at UCLA. It’s kind of scary. But when it is all said and done, it’s in God’s hands. Now it’s all about character and how you carry yourself. I know that my hard work will pay off.”

So you’re leaving for New York tomorrow, what are your plans?
Moore: “Check into my hotel and then go get a workout in. Tomorrow I’m going to prepare for a game, head over to Dr. Pine’s office, work out. Take my mom to Times Square, go to Aldo store, get some shoes. But I’m going to be off tomorrow. I’m going to be praying for the moment. I’m going to be quiet. I’m going to be doing a lot of thinking. Thinking about how all this started. I was at Army Bowl, and the two who came out of there were me and Patrick Peterson. I’m going to sit there and see these guys I’ve done it all with. Go to the ESPN party, spend some time with my family, and no lie, around 4 or 5, I’ll probably take a jog around the whole city. Put my jogging suit on and get a run in. Got to get on that Mayweather tip.”

What is that exact moment going to be like?
Moore: “Oh man. I’ll probably think about the first time someone called me an insignificant, an average L.A. person, a no one in life. I’m going to think about that, and how much it hurt me, and how much it changed my life when I was 7 years old. I’m going to think about those late nights, gowing up in L.A., seeing a lot of things. This feels like a dream. Everyone calls me Rahim the Dream. The dream means the draft. The dream means being successful, being the best man I can be. My mind is going to go blank. I’m going to be sweating. I’m going to be sitting there, and I’m going to tell the team, thank you so much. They’re going to feel my pain. When I get there, I realize, Jon, this is the last line of football. After this, there’s no more football. There is no NFL 2. This is the highest level. I have to give it all I got. The more I get asked questions, the more I visualize that and feel that.”