Clayton Echard is opening up about the criticism from fellow “Bachelor” alum Nick Viall.

Echard stars as the titular “Bachelor” in season 26 of the show, but some of the reception has been lukewarm.

Season 21 bachelor Viall told People that he “doesn’t get” the choice of Echard, and commented other choices had better charisma and storylines.

Speaking with Jessica shaw on SiriusXM’s “Pop Culture Spotlight”, the 28-year-old football player said he understands the skepticism.

READ MORE: New ‘Bachelor’ Star Clayton Echard Reads Mean Comments And Takes On Haters On ‘After the Final Rose’

“You know, when I saw that, I just thought, ‘Well, let me put myself in his shoes and everybody else’s shoes.’ And the big thing that I realized is everyone’s like, ‘We just don’t really know who he is,'” he shared. “I thought the date and all that actually went really well. I thought it showed my goofy side. It showed my dance moves … So it was a little snippet per se, I guess.”

He felt the first episode of the season hasn’t shown everything he brings to the table and is hoping to change some minds.

“You’re gonna get plenty of time to see me now on my season going forward. So if he still feels that way towards the end of it, then fair, sure. We’ll have a conversation at that point,” he continued.

Shaw seemed surprised that the new bachelor would be willing to sit down with Viall for a conversation.

READ MORE: ‘The Bachelor’: Clayton Echard Is ‘Broken’ In Dramatic First Look At Season 26

“I mean, if he asked for me to be on talk again, I don’t harbor any resentment for somebody that makes a comment like that. Again, I think that’s his platform. He kind of speculates on all these things, and he doesn’t know anything about me. So he’s going off of the little that he’s seen,” added Echard. “And yeah, I don’t really think it’s an unfair argument that he makes or a statement. I just think that it’s like, ‘Okay, you don’t know who I am, so you’re kind of questioning it.’ Well, let’s see if you still question it at the end of it all.”

Season 26 of “The Bachelor” airs on Jan. 3.