Notre Dame has one of the proudest and oldest football traditions in the country, and yet they haven’t had a player selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Brady Quinn in 2007. Michael Floyd is ready to change all that next week, as the wide receiver travels to New York City for the draft, to be one of the 26 players that will be in Radio City Music Hall to walk across that stage on Thursday.
He’s already anticipating the emotion of Thursday night. “I was getting my haircut yesterday and my barber said, ‘Michael, you gonna cry?’” Floyd said. “I think it will be a very emotional night. I’ll be very excited that my dream of becoming an NFL player came true.”
Floyd is considered one of the top two or three wide receivers in the draft this year, and is forecast to go in the top half of the first round. He’s got all the physical tools that NFL scouts look for. He stands 6-foot-3, 220 pounds and he put up solid numbers in the NFL Combine – running in the mid 4.4s in the 40-yard dash and displaying a 36 inch vertical.
But it’s what happens on the field that counts. He was a solid 4 year starter at Notre Dame, catching at least 40 balls for at least 700 yards in each of his four years. This year, as a senior he racked up 100 receptions for 1,147 yards and 9 touchdowns.
Asked what receiver in the NFL he models himself on, he was quick to answer. “Larry Fitzgerald, how he carries himself on and off the field,” Floyd said. “He just gets the job done, in a very productive way. He’s a guy I can call or text if I need any advice.”
Some of the draft experts are forecasting Floyd going to the Arizona Cardinals with the 13th pick, to play the other side of the field from Fitzgerald, which would be an enticing position for him. But despite NFL friendships, or allegiances from his youth, Floyd is happy wherever he lands.
Floyd is a true Midwesterner – growing up in Minnesota and attending Notre Dame in Indiana. Ironically, although he followed the Vikings, his allegiances went to a division rival. “My favorite team growing up… I really liked the Green Bay Packers,” Floyd said. “It was part of Notre Dame, and they are big on football in the city of Green Bay.”
But with the draft coming up, he needs to keep his options, and his mind, open. “I don’t really favor anybody right now.”
He’s got the hard-working mindset that will serve him well as he transitions to the next level. Asked what his greatest strength was, Floyd answered, “I’m just a productive guy. I know it’s a job now.”
“I’m going to give it all I’ve got,” he said. “I’m just going to work hard every single day, and get better every single day and be a good all-around wide receiver.”
