PHX Reporter

After another grueling football practice in the Arizona heat, Roy Lopez walked off the field drenched in sweat. The defensive tackle shared a candid confession: "Wrestling is the greatest sport in the world. It's the hardest sport in the world," Lopez said.

Lopez's journey with wrestling began long before he donned a football helmet. A native of Arizona, he first stepped onto a wrestling mat at age 2 and became one of the state's most decorated high school wrestlers by graduation. His competitive wrestling career concluded as a two-time state champion with a 113-3 record. Notably, his father also won a state championship, earning him the nickname "One-timer" in Lopez's phone contacts.

Despite his success in wrestling, football was always prominent in the Lopez household. The skills he honed on the mat have proven beneficial on the gridiron. "I've gotten throughout my whole career that it looks like I'm wrestling when you put on the tape," Lopez said. "My job as the nose guard... it's mano-a-mano."

Coach Jonathan Gannon has observed traces of Lopez's wrestling background during one-on-one drills. "Using your body and space and leverage and strength... there's elements of that when you're defeating a block," Gannon noted.

Lopez joined the Cardinals after an injury led to his release from Houston last September. By season's end, he had become integral to their defensive line, recording 42 tackles over 14 games and five starts.

Gannon praised Lopez’s work ethic: "If you had 90 Roys you'd be good to go... He's team-first... He's got a smile on his face." General Manager Monti Ossenfort has also bolstered their D-line by signing players like Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols and drafting Darius Robinson.

The Cardinals value multi-sport athletes like Kyler Murray (baseball) and Christian Jones (soccer). Gannon emphasized that diverse athletic backgrounds enhance coordination and spatial awareness: "It definitely helps when you're really young."

In his offseason training, Lopez incorporates combat sports such as boxing and grappling techniques from wrestling into his regimen to improve hand-to-hand combat against offensive linemen.

"When someone is leaning too much into you, you pull them on a pass rush," Lopez explained.

Each time he steps onto the practice field under scorching temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, Lopez feels at home: "When I line up... it's me versus you all day for four quarters... I know I worked a little bit harder."

Reflecting on his early start in wrestling, Lopez said it instilled a gladiator mindset: “There’s ten other guys on that field... but when you line up, it’s me and you all day.”