How former Auburn CB D.J. James is gaining weight before the NFL Draft

Former Auburn cornerback D.J. James is listed at 164 pounds on the 2023 Auburn roster and that isn’t enough for him to be considered where he’d like in the upcoming NFL Draft.

So James said he plans to get up to 180 pounds. How will he do it?

Pasta.

“Big pasta guy,” James told AL.com of his diet on Thursday at the NFL Combine. “I’m eating a lot. Big pasta guy. Bread, a lot of bread.”

James’ favorite meal now is chicken alfredo. A Mobile native, James said his upbringing on the Gulf Coast means he’s adding shrimp into his pasta, too.

And he’s smart enough to know not to do the cooking himself.

“I let mom cook,” James said. “She’s a great cook, amazing cook. She has the best spaghetti in the world. I put that up against anybody in the world. Mom has the best spaghetti in the world. Don’t believe me, come try for yourself.”

James has always been a smaller player. Adding weight is an effort to prove to scouts he can play the body type he may need at the professional level.

He will go through on-field drills at the NFL Combine on Friday. There, he will run the 40-yard dash at the biggest playing weight of his life.

Yet James said he’s excited to run. He has a goal for the 40-yard dash, but he didn’t want to share it. It’s a bit of a superstition.

“I want you all to watch it,” James said.

James is one of three former Auburn defensive backs at the NFL Combine along with Jaylin Simpson and Nehemiah Pritchett. All three will go through drills on Friday. Defensive linemen Marcus Harris and Justin Rogers are going through drills on Thursday.

James is ranked as the 138th overall player on Pro Football Focus’ draft board