Pro Player Insiders attended the Gold Carpet Event prior to the NFL Draft on Thursday night and learned that NFL draft prospects found differing significance from the NFL Draft process.
Endurance, strength, skill, commitment, knowledge, communications, they are all avenues that are tested to exhaustion. Through the combine, pro days, training, and the draft, NFL prospects are taken through a rigorous cycle of non-stop commitment. This process is hard to fathom for someone who has not experienced it.
As the players walk the gold carpet into Roosevelt University’s Auditorium Theatre right in the heart of downtown Chicago, nerves are at all ends of the spectrum. The entire draft process is far from the three days that are televised. For these NFL prospects, it is months of training not only on their bodies but their minds. Each player was asked, “What is the most significant part of the entire process, through combine, pro days, training and draft week; what are the stresses, the events, and the lessons that will stick with you for the rest of your life? The answers were extremely diverse.
Quite a few prospects pointed out how the back-to-back flights added an extra layer of preparation that they were not expecting. Back to back flights can put an insane amount of pressure on anyone, but trying to learn the ins and outs of every team, keep up with your workouts and continue getting a good nights rest can start to become a bit trying on an NFL draft prospect.
Draftees such as Devin Smith commented saying, “being so busy and flying everywhere to visit all the teams, is something that will stick with me forever.” Smith also mentioned giving a heads up to next years draft prospects, as it seems like no one truly understands the stresses that they will be put under as they make all the consecutive trips.
Other prospects like Benardrick McKinney emphasized: “It’s so stressful and tiring flying from state to state.” He also mentioned the impact his family had in continuing to support him through this process. “I had my family with me to push me through it. I had my momma there to push me through it. She got on me every day. She helped me out a lot” said McKinney.
As each of the prospects walk the gold carpet you start to realize these guys have been training together, they have been giving back to the community together and some were even raised together. The NFL draft has evolved into the beginning of what will be a family.
Trae Waynes and Melvin Gordon are one of the ‘brother duo’s’ that have been well-publicized this year. When questioned on it, Waynes laughed and said Gordon actually asked Roger Goodell if he could come up and take the family picture with Waynes when he got drafted because they are that close and they consider each other blood.
Waynes further stressed the most significant part of the entire process has been the relationships with his ‘new brothers. Basically just meeting all the guys, I have a lot of friends who I have met through this entire process and we all stay in touch and it’s a family. They say the NFL is like a big fraternity and you know that’s what I pride myself on…family” said Waynes.
Twenty-seven hopefuls were invited and accepted the request to be at the NFL Draft for 2015. Many of those attending the Gold Carpet mentioned how much of an honor it was to be one of the aspirants selected.
For example, Cedric Ogbuehi stated, “the most memorable part of the entire process that I will keep with me forever is being at the draft itself. Being invited here, it’s a blessing just to be here at the draft, being in this atmosphere.” You have others like Andrus Peat who state, “it’s a once and a lifetime deal, this whole draft experience, pretty much all of it, it’s one of the things you will do only once.”
For some, the memory that will stick with them the most is the setbacks. The world of working around an injury and excelling at your other traits such as interviewing as well as showing your knowledge on schemes and plays. Todd Gurley stated: “My biggest motivator through this entire process has been trying to come back from this injury (ACL).” He worked hard to nail everything else and to make sure there were no doubts in the mind of the team that would be drafting him.
Then you have players like, Shane Ray, who worked to prove people can make mistakes, but they can learn from them and still power through to be successful. Ray said: “I’ve came here. I’ve owned it. I’ve accepted and I’ve learned from it and more importantly I’ve worked my whole life to be here and I feel like I deserve this opportunity. I have my support system here with me. I’m just so blessed, everyone has a bump in the road, it’s just so happens mine was here this week and more importantly I’ve learned from my mistake. I’m ready to show whoever decides to take a chance on me and give me that opportunity that I’m dedicating myself to the team and being successful”.
Every player has had a different, but similar, experience through this entire process. As they walk the gold carpet and into the auditorium their lives are changed forever. What they have worked so hard for is now coming true. In their dapper suits with their Moms and Dads by their side, their nerves are on high alert. Some are calm and some are more anxious they have ever been.
Today is the day they have all been waiting for so today is the day that is most significant. This is the day they will never forget. Andrus Peat was spot on when he said “this is a once and lifetime opportunity.: Few will ever encounter it.
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