There aren’t too many eighth graders who get the opportunity to see the things Bryce Hayes-Roberts gets to see in his life. Hayes-Roberts, who stands at 6-foot-2 and weights 175 pound, is a talented athlete who plays the wide receiver, safety, and cornerback positions on the football field. He is also the son of a current NFL agent. More on that later.
The football season for Hayes-Roberts is almost half-way finished and his team is currently sporting a 5-0 record. “We’ve really started to get after it on both sides of the football,” Hayes-Roberts replied when asked how his team’s season as going. “Our coaches really push us to trust each other and handle our assignments.”
When asked how he has improved as a football player compared to last year around this time, Hayes-Roberts cited a few areas. “As a player, I’ve gotten a lot stronger in the weight room and it’s helped my game a lot,” Hayes-Roberts said. “I’m 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds. I’ve improved in every game this season. My tackling has gotten to where I knew it should be.” Hayes-Roberts added,” I’m also running good routes and catching all of the pass that are thrown my way.”
So far this season, Hayes-Roberts says he has lined up at wide receiver, cornerback, strong safety, and has played on all return and kickoff teams. When pressed about what position is his favorite, Hayes-Roberts made it clear which side of the ball he favors. “My favorite position is probably strong safety/cornerback,” Hayes-Roberts said. “I’ve always loved to hit.”
Hayes-Roberts currently plays for Stafford Middle School in Texas. When he first started playing the game of football, his family lived in Louisiana. Hayes-Roberts was four years old when he began to play football. He says he played a few sports (still plays basketball) but it was something about football that drew him to like it the most. “I played a lot of sports,” Hayes-Roberts said. “But, once I started playing tackle football, I knew this was my sport.”
When asked who he watches at the collegiate and/or NFL level, Hayes-Roberts listed several players. “I like to watch Patrick Queen, Christian Harris, Travis and Trevor Etienne and Derek Stingley play,” Hayes-Roberts said. “I know them personally and I’ve worked out with them. They all work hard to be great. It’s cool to see them compete and help each other get better.”
It's not every day that you get a response like that. The main reason he can have a relationship like that with those players is because he is the son of NFL agent Rick Roberts. He is aware of how much being the son of an NFL agent has helped him as a football player and as a person. “Being the son of a sports agent definitely has helped me,” Hayes-Roberts said. “I’ve been able to be around some great players and parents who have given me great advice. I get to talk to people like Dwayne Queen (Patrick Queen’s dad) and retired NFL coach Pete Jenkins. They both have helped me out a lot.” With his father representing at least one player on every NFL team, Hayes0Roberts says he doesn’t have a favorite NFL team. However, he does cheer for the players that his father represents.
Despite the heavy influence that football has in Roberts’ life, he does take the time to be a kid. “Outside of sports, I love to fish and play video games,” Hayes-Roberts said. “I’ve been fishing since I was real young. Last summer, I caught a shark. That was tough but it was fun.”
Hayes-Roberts does make time for leisure, but make no mistake about it, being the best player, he can be on the football field is important to him. He says the game of football has taught him things he can use both on and off the football field.
“Football has taught me that if I really want to be the best, I’ve got to do stuff others aren’t willing to do,” Hayes-Roberts said.
With more games coming up in the following weeks, Hayes-Roberts sees that as an opportunity to not become satisfied with the current success he and his teammates are experiencing. He knows that there’s more work to do.
“I’ve got to continue to work on getting bigger, faster, and stronger. I also want to improve my knowledge of the positions I play on the football field.”
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Ed O'Brien @EdOBrienCFB 2 months ago