Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former NFL cornerback Scott Turner is excited for the NFL draft tonight as he continues working as a member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet.

Turner did not hesitate when asked by the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview about who his first round pick would be if he had the choice, selecting Fernando Mendoza of the Indiana Hoosiers.

'You have to get Mendoza - he's a winner. I love his character, the way he plays. He has to be the first pick,' he said of the Heisman-winning quarterback who led his team to the college football national championship.

Turner spent nine seasons as an NFL cornerback, beginning with Washington's Redskins after being drafted by them in 1995, before four seasons with the San Diego Chargers and a final stint with the Denver Broncos ending in 2004.

He remains a fan of all three clubs but holds a special place for the Redskins, now known as the Commanders.

'I'm endeared to the Redskins because that's the team that first drafted me,' he said. 'Anytime a team invests in you and gives you an opportunity to play in the NFL, I'm grateful.'

He praised new owner Josh Harris for backing the club heavily, including plans for a new stadium in Washington DC.

'The new stadium is going to bring great revitalization to the area,' he said. 'I think it's awesome!'

Now as the head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Turner is focused less on football and more on President Trump’s agenda. Turner is not new to Washington, DC, even though he splits his time between the city and his home in Dallas, Texas.

A former pastor, Turner also served in the state legislature in the state before taking leadership roles in the federal government. During Trump's first term he served as the Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council.

From time to time, Trump also calls on the former pastor to lead his cabinet in prayer prior to their meetings in the White House. 

Turner told the Daily Mail that when he took the job at HUD, Trump made it clear that he wanted to make sure that the funding from the agency went to the American people first and that the agency was focused on increasing the number of houses constructed in the United States.

Part of that, Turner explained, was to reduce onerous regulations that were slowing the construction of housing.

‘He’s a builder, you know, he came out of the building and construction development industry and regulations play a huge part in blocking that,’ he said.

Turner is also rooting out Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies out of his department that were originally enacted by former President Joe Biden.

‘DEI at HUD is dead. Because it has nothing to do with the American people and has nothing to do with our mission at housing,’ he told the Daily Mail.

Turner kicked off his new job by canceling $4 million in contracts discovered by the DOGE task force that were focused on DEI priorities from the previous administration.

'We will be good stewards of the taxpayer money,' he said. 'We're here to serve the American people and the American people only.'

He argued that the surge of illegal migrants during the Biden administration played a 'huge role' in diverting federal housing aid from American families. 

'A lot of those illegal migrants were receiving HUD-funded housing,' he said, noting the department spends $50 billion annually in housing assistance. 'You can see how that puts a strain on the housing supply and drives the cost of housing up.'

As HUD Secretary, Turner signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Homeland Security to verify that housing benefit recipients are American citizens, and moved to close a loophole allowing mixed-immigration-status households to live in government-funded low-income housing. 

He estimated those measures would free up $212 billion in aid for American citizens over time.

Turner said President Trump also signed an executive order to block Wall Street investors from buying up single-family homes and moved to loosen regulations on community banks to allow them to issue more home loans. 

'You bring them back to the game, it increases competition and brings the cost down,' he said. 'It allows creditworthy people, particularly those with low to moderate incomes and those in rural areas, to receive a mortgage.'