After another grueling football practice spent grinding in the trenches with the Arizona heat blistering everyone_, Roy Lopez walked off the field in a sweat.

Without hesitation, the defensive tackle shared a confession.

"Wrestling is the greatest sport in the world. It's the hardest sport in the world," Lopez said.

Lopez put on the wrestling singlet long before he wore a helmet. A Valley native, Lopez first walked onto the wrestling mat when he was 2. By the time he completed high school, Lopez was one of the more decorated wrestlers in Arizona.

His competitive wrestling journey ended as a two-time state champion with a 113-3 record. Lopez's father also once won a state championship -- and for the sake of bragging rights, Roy lists his father number in his phone as "One-timer."

But football was his calling. The sport was a staple in the Lopez household. Yet Lopez can draw on the similarities between the two sports.

"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, I'm right in the center of the defense, so I got to take on double teams, lower my pad level, play with leverage, and use my hands. Like wrestling, it's mano-a-mano."

Coach Jonathan Gannon has seen glimpses of Lopez's wrestling background when he takes part in one-on-one drills. "Using your body and space and leverage and strength, all those things kind of go together when you're wrestling a guy and there's elements of that when you're defeating a block," Gannon said.

The Cardinals head coach is a big fan of the University of Arizona product. Coming off an injury and released by Houston, Lopez signed with the hometown Cardinals in late September. By the end of the year, Lopez was an integral part of the defensive line. In 14 games and five starts, the 27-year-old had 42 tackles.

Since that time, Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort have made it a point to bolster the D-line room, signing players like Justin Jones, Bilal Nichols, and drafting Darius Robinson in the first round. But Lopez has worked to find himself as a starter, a holdover important to keep.

"If you had 90 Roys you'd be good to go," Gannon said. "Roy keeps a good attitude. He's always working on his game. He's team-first. He's willing to do whatever you tell him to do. He's got a smile on his face. He's a phenomenal human being."

The Cardinals have a handful of players that were multi-sport athletes prior to reaching the NFL. Whether it's Kyler Murray’s past with baseball, Christian Jones on the soccer pitch, or Lopez locking up opponents on the mat, Gannon sees value in a player with experience in multiple sports.

"It definitely helps when you're really young (with) coordination, whether it be hand-eye coordination or how you run," Gannon said. "Spatial awareness is huge so typically playing a bunch of different sports, you learn. Your body goes through that and then hopefully, it helps you out through your real sport."

During the offseason, Lopez uses combat sport activities as part of his training. It includes boxing and working on his wrestling grappling techniques since he can use the hand-to-hand contact in his arsenal against offensive lineman. As a wrestler, the go-to move was a snatch, a pull-down move.

In the NFL? Same thing.

"It all goes hand in hand," Lopez said. "When someone is leaning too much into you, you pull them on a pass rush."

Each time Lopez walks out onto the practice field, temperature clocking in at over 100 degrees, the defensive tackle feels like he's in familiar and comfortable territory.

"When I line up, you're tired, I'm tired, but I know I'm looking at you right now and it's me versus you," Lopez said. "But it's me all day for four quarters and I know I got a little bit more than you do. I know I worked a little bit harder. I pushed myself because I wrestled and because I boxed. I did all of those things.

"Maybe that did come from wrestling at 2 and 3 years old. I'm sure it did with that gladiator warrior feeling of it's just you and him. There's ten other guys on that field, but when you line up, it's me and you all day. So having that mindset of someone's coming out a winner, it's the greatest feeling."