I'm not going to lie, it was probably after my fourth year in college (before I knew I could make it to the NFL). So kind of later than most. I had some accolades. I was, like, second-team All-Big 12. The talks with agents started to pick up. So that's when I started to really believe I could do it. It's always been a dream of mine.
So, draft day, definitely nervous, but also just I guess happiness. The day is filled with family, people that I love most around me, so, definitely an exciting day when everything starts.
Right next to me was my wife, Grace, and that helped out. She's very good at (keeping me calm). She and I were just basically waiting together, just watching some of the guys that I trained with getting drafted, so we celebrated those. So having those helped. Just waiting, really.
I was on Zoom with my agent, and he may have told me before I got the call. So he kind of spoiled it, took the surprise away. So I was expecting the call, answered it, and it was the Panthers.
Man, I was thrilled, really, all my past just flashing before my eyes, my childhood, just going to Kansas State as a walk-on, just all that. It meant something to me. I felt accomplished for sure.