Arnold Ebiketie — call him "AK" — spent his first day as an Eagle on Monday at the Jefferson Health Training Complex with his new coaches and some of his new teammates after signing a one-year contract, and following his virtual press conference with the Philadelphia media, he sat down with Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro for an exclusive one-on-one interview …

Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro: What is it like to walk into this building as an Eagle for the first time. The fans really don't know what goes on, so what has the experience been like for you?

Ebiketie: "Pretty exciting, really. When you come to an organization that has had so much success over the years and you walk the building and you see what's on the walls and you see the players and coaches holding the Lombardi Trophy, you look at it and you can't help but visualize what that would be like for you. It was exciting. That is the word that I would use."

Spadaro: Where do you think you are in your football development?

Ebiketie: "I think I'm right there in my prime in terms of there is so much more that I can improve on. I understand that. I want to shape myself and improve and be the most complete player I can possibly be. Coming here and learning, being in a new environment, it is the right place to do that."

Spadaro: Is football at this level, would you say, more mental or physical?

Ebiketie: "I would say it's more mental. Everyone in the NFL has great physical skills. But what truly separates you at this level is the mental aspect of the game. How well do you prepare? And with that, what is your reaction time? How are your anticipation skills? When you're at the line of scrimmage, sometimes it can be a chess match between you and the offensive lineman, so that goes back to the mental side of the game."

Spadaro: You look at the guys on this D-line — Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Moro Ojomo, Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith — when you think about playing with that group of guys, what comes to mind?

Ebiketie: "I'm pumped. I mean, I'm pumped. I'm pumped, I'm excited, and I know that having that opportunity and learning from them, it's going to make me a better player. This is an extremely competitive group. It's that way with the entire organization. I want to see what it's like to be a winner and to have the best brought out in me. I want to play better than I've ever played football and prepare for that. I've only been with one team. I'm grateful to Atlanta and I enjoyed my time there. But this is a different place and a new start."

Spadaro: What got you into football?

Ebiketie: "When I got to high school (in Maryland) I was more of a soccer and basketball player. I was one of the bigger kids at my high school and the coach approached me and asked me if I wanted to play and I didn't want to. He made a joke like, 'Are you scared?' So, that got me. I'm competitive. I wanted to prove him wrong. After that, I liked it. I realized I was pretty good at it and then I started getting (college) offers. It really wasn't until I got to college that I made a commitment to taking football seriously and it would be a long-term commitment of mine."

Spadaro: You've gotten a taste of Philadelphia as a football city from your time at Temple, and you have a sense of the culture here. What is that feeling?

Ebiketie: "The fans in this City and the Eagles, it goes hand in hand. Everything is about the Eagles. I saw that at Temple. Everything matters to them. I'm here and I know it's fast-paced and very, very important. This is a championship culture. That is the standard here. I embrace that. I want that and I know it's going to help bring out the best in me."

Spadaro: You've talked about being 'a complete player.' What does that mean to you?

Ebiketie: "It means that you want to be held accountable for different things. You have to be able to stop the run. We talk about that a lot. You have to earn the right to pass rush. You have to be versatile and if you have to drop into pass coverage, you do that and you do it well. You have to be great at rushing the quarterback. It's a combination and at the end of the day, it's being the player your coaches want you to be. It is doing everything well."

Spadaro: Every day in practice you're going to see Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, etc. Are you looking forward to that?

Ebiketie: "It will benefit me greatly, and it is one thing that makes me really, really excited. When you go against someone like Lane Johnson every day and then you get to the season, no matter who you are playing, you know that you've worked every day against the best tackle in the league. That's going to help my level of confidence, and it helps you go out there and dominate. Learning from him and our offensive line, I'm going to be picking up little nuggets every day. I'm going to be a sponge and that is going to make me a better football player."