The NFL draft is where dreams are made. It's also where they are derailed. My agent told me I would be going in the first round, he also told me I'd be making a million dollars a year. I could only hope so. On draft day of April 1990, I had no idea what team was going to take me. I had heard rumors that it could be Seattle, Tampa Bay, and a few other, but I wasn't for sure. I was one of thirty-eight college juniors coming out early, in addition to those juniors there are also all of the seniors as well. I didn't care where I went, I just wanted to be drafted somewhere where I could start as a rookie. Like many other college players about to go pro I had some question marks by my name. My "lack of breakaway speed" was the most knocked on. I felt this was silly. I always got to the end zone, did it really matter how many tenths of a second it took to get there? By April of 1990 I wasn't even thinking about the Cowboys drafting me. After they had sent a coach to watch me workout in college they never called, so I had no clue who was going to draft me. The night before the draft I stayed in my old bedroom at my parents house, I was a nervous wreck. I could barely sleep, even in my normal surroundings. On Sunday morning it was draft day, I watched it on ESPN from a friends house on Pensacola Beach, several family members were with me too. On the 16th pick in the draft the phone rang and I picked up, it was Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys head coach, he said, " Emmitt how would you like to wear a star on your helmet?" I went crazy, I said Coach I'd love to wear that star! Then he said " alright then, were gonna trade up and draft you then." Then he hung up. I told my whole family and they all went crazy. Then five minutes later the Cowboys traded up form the 21st pick the the 17th and drafted me. I was now a Dallas Cowboy. One of the greatest days of my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment