October 26, 2021 • 28 mins
It's Round One of the 2021 NFL Draft, and Devonta Smith arrives at the first in-person draft since the pandemic began, hanging out with his family in a private green room as they wait for his name to be called. In Florida, Alex Leatherwood hosts his own draft party with friends and family at a beach house, where the celebration ultimately turns wild.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Drafted is a production of tree Fork Media, Clutch Sports Group,
and I Heart Radio. Damn, he's really Draft Day Hall,
We're really get crack. Welcome back to Drafted. I'm Steven
Johnson and Alex Leatherwood is right, it's really finally drafted.
(00:26):
In this fourth episode, we'll be riding along with Alex
and DeVante Smith as the first round of the two thousand,
twenty one NFL Draft commences, and at the moment Alex
is in his car running some final errands before his
draft party tonight at a beach house in Pensacola, Florida.
His agent, Demarus Bilbo calls to touch base and offer
(00:48):
his last minute thoughts. Yo, what's up, dB, how's it
mort to be? It's been good, It's been good. I'm decided.
One thing I want to tell you said, for everything
you've accomplished in your career, Draft Knight has a funny
way of making people feel like somebody else is better
than them, or they're not good enough, or because you
(01:10):
know they haven't done enough. You know, it's just it's
not how it is. So with that being said, obviously
this is a weird draft. I mean, you can go
anywhere between nineteen or that's a huge gap. But you know,
seeing time evaluations, seeing that processes and they and the
draft board. So however, good phones. Just know that you know,
as soon as the draft is over, it's back to
(01:32):
aunt other word locky in showing the basis gast. You know,
you gotta prove the guy that around you right and
you gotta prove the one that you draft your own
right right. Either way, you know you're gotta have an
opportunity to do the bit about your dream. And just know,
like we always talk about, regardless of because one of
your regards pause behind you, you have an opportunity to
fool that you are the best, right all right, man,
(01:56):
So you need anything for me, no questions. I'm good, dog,
I mean, oh, we gotta do his way now. That's
just be comforted in the one day your life is
gonna change. That was weekend and you know it's it's
not where you start fish, all right? Bet that sounds good.
I appreciate you, dB, all right about these past few
(02:20):
months have been a never ending stream of questions about
Alex's abilities and what position he'll play, and now he's
facing a wide draft range projected somewhere between pick nineteen
and pick forty. That's especially tough for a guy who's
decorated as Alex, who won national championships, all conference honors,
and even the Outland Trophy as the country's best interior
(02:42):
a lineman. So to Marius worries the pre Deeft process
might finally be getting to his client. You know, they're
not just handing out Hasman Trophy Awards and Outland Trophy
Awards and everybody know Alabama that's kind of like the
thirty third NFL team right there. So these guys are
practicing differently. So I think he felt that he had
(03:03):
done he had achieved everything and accomplished everything that he
could possibly do and still to be critiqued at the
level he was and so you know, I think a
part of that kind of got to him. You know,
it's like, what more can I do? At this point?
There truly is nothing more Alex can do. The draft
is starting in less than an hour, so Alex heads
back to the beach House to change and get ready. Meanwhile,
(03:27):
in Cleveland, Davante Smith woke up early, worked out, took
a nap, put on a suit, and as now arriving
downtown for the first round of the draft. Oh they
got to Oh I thought they had you might know,
you know, I got miked up. Man, They got me
out here being a feed man. That's Davante. He's outside
(03:49):
the Cleveland Brown Stadium walking towards the shuttle that will
take him and his family to the green room. Security
stops him and ask everyone for their passes. Yet, all right, hey,
everybody else is hey? Everybody else's she's one. Yeah, they're waiting.
(04:17):
She did have, so it looks like a lot of
people who run away. Davante is talking to Garmet Mamalou,
one of the members of his team at Clutch Sports.
They're waiting for a few more people from their group
to arrive. These last few hours are specially hectic, with
(04:38):
extra security and COVID protocol thousands of fans arriving downtown
for the draft kickoff in the NFL scrambling to broadcast
their first ever hybrid in person and virtual draft. Here's
DeVante's agent, Calton Crenshaw, a lifelong Cleveland resident and native,
explaining this year's unique set up. It's probably like a
(05:01):
quarter of a mile stretch of land, Like, you know,
they had a bunch of stuff outside, and then there
was a stage, and then there was like a large
area that was like the super industrial tent. It was
basically like a permanent structure, but it was a tent
because they it doesn't exist. And um, that's the Graham Room, pods.
All of that was inside of this tent area. Usually,
(05:23):
the green room is a massive open lounge area near
the stage with tables and couches with the top twenty
to thirty prospects wait for their name to be called.
In two thousand twenty one, everything is different, so like
the draft, these they were bunker down like deep in
the middle of the layout of the draft in this
like little enclosed living room. This year's draft set up,
(05:46):
it's carefully designed for COVID safety protocols. Almost everything is
outdoors near the lakefront, in between the Brown Stadium and
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's spaced out
more like a music festival than a draft. So it's
fitting that rock stars Kings of Leon finished their pre
draft concert on the main stage as Davante, his family,
(06:07):
Garme and Kelton take their seats in the green room
and at the Pensacola Beach House in Florida. Alex Leatherwood
settles into the couch with his family, watching as NFL
Commissioner Roger Goodell steps up to the podium. Three three
one NFL Draft is now officially owen, it's not like
(06:32):
I'm gonna get pick number four. It's not like I'm
gonna get pick number four, but it's probably gonna be
anywhere from nineteen to twenty seven. As they look on,
Alex tries to set expectations with his friends and family
in the room they watched the Jacksonville Jaguars and make
the first pick in the draft, selecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
(06:55):
Alex knows it's unlikely he'll be taken before pick eighteen
or nineteen, and that he could end up being selected
as late as pick forty, so he watches calmly as
the first five picks roll off the board. Pick number
six belongs to Miami and they need a receiver. Most
people think this could be where Davante gets selected, especially
(07:16):
since he played with the Miami quarterback in college. Davante
watches and listens from the green room as the picks announced.
(07:47):
Miami selects his teammate friend and fellow Alabama receiver Jalen
Wantle DeVante steps out to hug Jalen. The show. Watching
(08:09):
his teammate at the same position get picked ahead of
him doesn't seem to bother Davante. He's as composed as ever.
It's Alex who was surprised because Jalen missed the whole
season with a broken ankle. Analysts are also surprised to
see the injured receiver get picked ahead of the Heisman
Trophy winner. Here's Alex watching from the Pensacola living room.
(08:34):
Smitty is still on the board that happened up last
year with like Judy and Ruggs and Ruggs one before.
That's crazy, ain't it. I mean, like, to be honest,
I think that was the only one he had though
that like broken ankle, but that but that was kind
of like a freak accident. Who it was crazy because
like he walked off the pin. I'm looking at life, okay, Yeah,
(08:57):
like we go we played the job like wand that's crazy.
Teams are often undeterred by injuries like this as long
as they believe in the player and their ability to
fully recover within the coming season, and the Miami Dolphins
clearly believe in Jalen Waddle. Next up at pick seven,
(09:21):
the Detroit Lions take an offensive tackle the first one
off the board, which is a good sign for Alex.
He's generally ranked as the third highest offensive lineman prospect,
so the earlier the other two players get picked, the
earlier he will likely be selected. This puts Carolina on
the clock at pick number eight. The Panthers are also
(09:41):
rumored to be interested in DeVante, has evidenced by their
head coach texting Celton last night during the Clutch dinner.
So Calton and Davante both believe Carolina is going to
pick him. Here, We'll be right back. With the eighth pick.
(10:17):
In the two thousand twenty one NFL Draft, the Carolina
Panthers select a cornerback instead of a receiver. Then it
picked nine. Denver also selects a cornerback. That puts the
Dallas Cowboys on the clock with pick ten, a team
without any need for a receiver. Here's Calvin and Davante
shocking fall out of the top ten. That process was
(10:41):
kind of stressful because you really never know, honestly in
most in most cases, so it was definitely nerve wracking.
That's a dupe. Thing about the NFL draft is super unpredictable.
So when he went to Carolina, I'm like, all right,
you know, we might go on a little slide here
because I knew Philly was trying to move up. I
knew Denver wasn't gonna take him, and I knew Philly
(11:04):
was trying to move up. But I'm thinking at the board,
I'm like, well, Ship, they're not gonna trade. The Cowboys
are going to trade with a division arrival to let
them get the player they want, you know what I'm saying.
So I was just like, well, I guess we're going
to New York. At this point, I was just kind
of like, we're going to New York. It is what
it is. New York holds the very next pick at
(11:34):
number eleven. The Giants need a receiver and have expressed
interest in DeVante throughout the pre draft process. So Calton
and DeVante and everyone else following the draft all assume
DeVante will be playing for the New York Giants. But
then DeVante's phone rings, I love yes, sir, A good
(11:55):
playing your shaved? Thank you bad. I feel good. I'm
ready to go to work. A surprise trade unfolds and
it's the Philadelphia Eagles calling, And then DeVante's typical calm
and composed way, he just quietly found out and shared
(12:18):
that the Eagles are going to draft him lad place.
So yeah, Brom, so proud of you. Ye grass bro,
(12:47):
he says, God brother, let we say we'll get it, brother.
What The Eagles make a trade with their division rivals,
(13:09):
the Cowboys to jump up two spots to pick number ten.
This puts them ahead of their other division rivals, the
New York Giants, and allows them to select the player
that Giants wanted, Davante Smith. This type of intra division
first round trade almost never happens because now the Cowboys
will have to play against Davante at least twice a year. However,
(13:30):
in this instance, the Giants planned to select DeVante with
the next pick anyway, so the Cowboys would have to
face Davante twice the season regardless. That makes the trade
a win win for Billy and Alice and a stunning
blow to New York. The move also shocks teams and
fans around the league. Only Davante seems stoic about it
as he walks out to the stage to meet NFL
(13:52):
commissioner Roger Goodell, who hugs him and hands him his
brand new Philadelphia Eagles jersey. I'm gonna turn out by graduation.
Thank you. See how you like this that look? Okay?
Oh yeah, for sure, there you go. Glad you're here, man,
(14:12):
Thanks for coming. Thanks bad you need anything, you let
me know, be right down the road. Now you're gonna
have to get these Eagles fans. Man. We'll just hold
that right here. I will take Okay, come on, guys,
(14:33):
thank you, thank you, thank you. You got a great player,
got a great kid. For important. Thank you need something,
let me know. Okay, they're gonna take care of you.
Takes to stand right here. It takes an We're gonna
go backstage now, do a couple of interviews, and take
some quick with your family. Davante heads backstage again, this
(14:57):
time to do interviews for his new team and the
local Aladelphia press. Meanwhile, in Florida, Alas continues watching the broadcast.
He's trying to figure out what team might draft him
based on how the top ten played out. Bro when
the process first broke. When the process first started, they
(15:18):
was working with me heavy, the Colts coaching me heavy.
But like, really, bro, it really all depended on this
top ten. I'll know what's gonna happen, like you got
like you gotta see what's gonna happen with the Chargers,
then Minnnnapolis, the air Raiders in Miami, because like Miami
like me a lot. They said that they're gonna take
me last year number eighteen them who else coach they
(15:41):
like me, Feelers they like me a lot, Jaguars they
like me a lot. And I feel like, worst case scenario,
I'm going to Baltimore because they got two restaurant picks.
So I'm gonna go to Baltimore. But but ain't trying,
but trying to go ahead late there's not enough money.
But like like it all depends on what happened with
(16:03):
like everybody else has been on the first contract. The
difference between getting picked in the teens or falling to
the end of the first round will be about five
million dollars. That's why Alex was worrying about the money.
So when the Chargers picked Northwestern tackle were Shawn Slater
(16:23):
at thirteen, it's another good omen for Alex. The two
highest ranked tackles are now off the board and he
could be picked in almost any spot. Moving forward, We'll
be right back. Alice continues watching the draft broadcast as
(16:49):
the New York Jets trade up to pick fourteen. They
select a guard from USC and now New England is
on the clock, with Arizona in Las Vegas following with
the next two picks. Hello, all right, yes, sir, yo,
(17:14):
what's up? Coach? I appreciate the coach, Yes, sir, that
sounds good. I appreciate it. Oh god, y what the PV?
(17:55):
What TV? Alex realizes they still have to announce the
pick on TV and that the broadcast will show him
live when that happens. So he and Coral Silverberg, a
member of his team at Clutch, scrambled to clear everyone
out of the camera's path. Well that way, everybody go
that way, go go go. Oh yes, Alex, Yeah, all right,
(18:57):
here's Alex about getting that phone call from the Raiders.
There was a coach Gruten's number, because he had called
me like a couple of days before. They talk about something,
and well, to be honest, what exactly what he said
was kind of a blur because I was just laden talking.
(19:20):
I'm just like yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, like agreeing
with whatever he was saying, and I was just like, oh, Ship,
I'm going to vegash. After the pick has been announced,
Alex's older brother runs over to celebrate with Alex and
their mom. Yes, I told you, Bro, I told you, Bert,
(19:53):
I told you that. I mama moment I got told
(20:16):
I told you, I told you. I don't need to
cry and take it off. Take it off. Even though
Alex can often be quiet and soft spoken, like his
old teammate Davante, in this instance, the emotions are too overwhelming.
It is like a dream come true. But I mean
(20:36):
I knew it was gonna happen, just because like when
I had set my mom to do it back when
I was like fourteen, and I told himself, yeah, I'm
gonna like take his mission head on and I would
be successful and things like that. I knew it's gonna happen.
So it's really just like everything got planned and told
myself that I was gonna do, like I already like
(20:57):
lift through this in my head because I manifested it,
worked at it and made sure that I wasn't gonna
be denied. Here's jaretts Parks, Alex's teammate at Alabama, who
watched his best friend's journey over the last four years.
I couldn't do anything but break down in tears because
I've just watched it up close, piece by piece, and
(21:20):
that plan came to life, and to hear his name
get called on that screen, it was just one of
the amazing moments to just be there and witness and
just be a part of. Back in the living room,
Alex Jaretz and Alex's friends and family continue celebrating. We're
going to Vegas. Bogus far, We're going to Vegas. It's
so no state tax. Hey, we lit, we lit. All
(21:44):
of Alex's pre draft dreams are coming true. He made
it to the NFL, he became a first round draft pick,
and he's playing for a franchise in Nevada. Well, there's
no state income tax. The plan he's been executing for
seven years straight is officially a succes us, And unlike DeVante,
Alex wants everyone to know how he's feeling right now. Yeah,
(22:20):
are we going to read? As Alex and his crew
celebrate into the night, DeVante and his family drive back
to the hotel in Cleveland to get ready for a
celebratory dinner. DeVante's longtime mentor Vincent Sanders describes the moment
(22:43):
before they head out. He's still a team to fan
taking pictures of I'm at and I'm coming downstairs and
I get off the elevator and I meet him and
he was like to come out with So he's gonna
meet him. You on elevator and go up to his
own so you change on the way after. He's like like,
I was like wow, well, like what he's like, dude,
(23:07):
I just went t pick. I was like he was
like tenths pick bro in NFL trap Like yeah. So
we just sat there for a man room like like wow,
we just what's saying that? It just was like like
ship and then you could tell we foun that was it.
(23:32):
It was down. Once they're quiet, moment of appreciation ends,
Davante goes back to his room. He quickly gets ready
for his celebration dinner. I kept my suit on, I
grabbed my charger. We all went to a restaurant, just
my family and things like that, the Klutch family of course,
all of us on. We kind of celebrated by stayed
(23:53):
probably ten minutes, ten fifteen minutes, and I went back
to the hotel, went sleep because it was just like this,
this is not me. I don't like being out. I
don't like like big gatherers and stuff like that. So
I got me some eat and then I left and
just like all right, it's time for me to go.
But like my my mom mightee like they stayed. They
enjoyed it well, like I live. Davante said that his
(24:15):
own celebration for only about ten minutes. Then the very
next morning, he Vincent fly to Philly to meet his
new coaches. Here's Vincent, So you wanted me to file
them with it. So I filed and we get a
we're gonna meet all the coaches and all that stuff.
His first questions, I'm gonna get to our pad tonight
to start starting to play. So they're like, you know,
(24:38):
you ain't going out. I'm going like the room, so
you know, you know people there looking like, yeah, right, whatever,
you're going. You're the Smith. You just can't You're going.
You can't blame the Eagles staff for being incredulous. The
team planned to take Davante to a Philadelphia seventy sixers game,
(24:59):
where he'd ring ceremonial bell before tip off as a
guest of honor. Then they planned to sit him courtside,
right next to Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, and of course
they assumed he'd go out on the town after that.
Here's devote again. I mean, get to feel it, meet
two coaches and things like they do some media stuff
with them, and then just at I mean, I went
(25:21):
to a basketball game bringing the bill. I didn't even
stay for the game. I just run the bill and
I left from me. He went to the hotel and yeah,
straight in the playbook, straight to that room. I'm talking
about straight to room. We got a restaurant. We at
room service. When I came to his room was connected
right next to buy Where I walked through the room,
(25:42):
he was under the covers with a pencil in hand,
the book in the op. He wasn't interested in courtside
seats at an NBA game. He didn't care about being
the guest of honor there or going to the hottest
restaurants are Club in Philly. He just wanted to get
back to football as soon as he possibly could. The
(26:05):
same way you might love cake blue bell ice cream.
He loves learning plays and that that's what he does.
His mom, Christina, sums it up. Yeah, he didn't stay
the whole game. He left and went back and he
wanted to get He wanted to get into the playbook.
(26:28):
But but that's him, you know, always trying to be
one step ahead. Davante has proven as much as anyone
in recent college football history, no matter how old you are,
how tall you are, or how much you weigh, if
you're one step ahead, it means you're open. So NFL
defenders better get ready. The quiet, humble, one and seventy
(26:52):
pound kid from a small town in Louisiana is coming
for them, and they might already be a step or
two behind him. Next I'm drafted. I started grooming him
at an early age to play quarterback. Everything we did
(27:14):
was football. In this off I realized that he had
a chance to be somebody. That's how things are in Texas, right,
it is really all about football. Well, I got death
threads starting to seek for multiple years. Freshman year for sure,
stopmore year ding a year and like, I've been booed
in my own stadium multiple times. Yeah, he was booed.
That's tough as a parent, you know, when you're sitting
at a game a little over a quarter into the
Auburn game and he got benched, but during the game
(27:37):
getting booed, and as a parent, you know, it's tough.
He's always considering like, Okay, now, how am I gonna
make this better? How am I gonna make this better?
He really is a lot of pressure. I said, Remember,
Jim Ball can yell at you, but he'll never be
as hard as your dad is. To me, it's one
of the most remarkable things I've been a part of.
(28:00):
Drafted is a production of tree Fort Media, Clutch Sports Group,
and I Heart Radio. The executive producers are Kelly Garner,
Lisa Ammerman, Eric Slott, Eric Weiner, and Sewn Titone. The
series is produced and written by Eric Winer Garme Mamalu
is our coordinating producer. Coral Silverberg is our associate producer.
Tom Monahan is our senior audio engineer. The show is mixed,
(28:23):
edited and hosted by Me Stephen Johnson. Additional production helped
from Tim Shower and Haley Mandelberg. For transcripts of the
show and more information Undrafted, quote a tree Fort dot Fm,
and for more podcasts from my Heart, visit the I
Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows,
Drafted is a production of tree Fork Media, Clutch Sports Group,
and I Heart Radio. Damn, he's really Draft Day Hall,
We're really get crack. Welcome back to Drafted. I'm Steven
Johnson and Alex Leatherwood is right, it's really finally drafted.
(00:26):
In this fourth episode, we'll be riding along with Alex
and DeVante Smith as the first round of the two thousand,
twenty one NFL Draft commences, and at the moment Alex
is in his car running some final errands before his
draft party tonight at a beach house in Pensacola, Florida.
His agent, Demarus Bilbo calls to touch base and offer
(00:48):
his last minute thoughts. Yo, what's up, dB, how's it
mort to be? It's been good, It's been good. I'm decided.
One thing I want to tell you said, for everything
you've accomplished in your career, Draft Knight has a funny
way of making people feel like somebody else is better
than them, or they're not good enough, or because you
(01:10):
know they haven't done enough. You know, it's just it's
not how it is. So with that being said, obviously
this is a weird draft. I mean, you can go
anywhere between nineteen or that's a huge gap. But you know,
seeing time evaluations, seeing that processes and they and the
draft board. So however, good phones. Just know that you know,
as soon as the draft is over, it's back to
(01:32):
aunt other word locky in showing the basis gast. You know,
you gotta prove the guy that around you right and
you gotta prove the one that you draft your own
right right. Either way, you know you're gotta have an
opportunity to do the bit about your dream. And just know,
like we always talk about, regardless of because one of
your regards pause behind you, you have an opportunity to
fool that you are the best, right all right, man,
(01:56):
So you need anything for me, no questions. I'm good, dog,
I mean, oh, we gotta do his way now. That's
just be comforted in the one day your life is
gonna change. That was weekend and you know it's it's
not where you start fish, all right? Bet that sounds good.
I appreciate you, dB, all right about these past few
(02:20):
months have been a never ending stream of questions about
Alex's abilities and what position he'll play, and now he's
facing a wide draft range projected somewhere between pick nineteen
and pick forty. That's especially tough for a guy who's
decorated as Alex, who won national championships, all conference honors,
and even the Outland Trophy as the country's best interior
(02:42):
a lineman. So to Marius worries the pre Deeft process
might finally be getting to his client. You know, they're
not just handing out Hasman Trophy Awards and Outland Trophy
Awards and everybody know Alabama that's kind of like the
thirty third NFL team right there. So these guys are
practicing differently. So I think he felt that he had
(03:03):
done he had achieved everything and accomplished everything that he
could possibly do and still to be critiqued at the
level he was and so you know, I think a
part of that kind of got to him. You know,
it's like, what more can I do? At this point?
There truly is nothing more Alex can do. The draft
is starting in less than an hour, so Alex heads
back to the beach House to change and get ready. Meanwhile,
(03:27):
in Cleveland, Davante Smith woke up early, worked out, took
a nap, put on a suit, and as now arriving
downtown for the first round of the draft. Oh they
got to Oh I thought they had you might know,
you know, I got miked up. Man, They got me
out here being a feed man. That's Davante. He's outside
(03:49):
the Cleveland Brown Stadium walking towards the shuttle that will
take him and his family to the green room. Security
stops him and ask everyone for their passes. Yet, all right, hey,
everybody else is hey? Everybody else's she's one. Yeah, they're waiting.
(04:17):
She did have, so it looks like a lot of
people who run away. Davante is talking to Garmet Mamalou,
one of the members of his team at Clutch Sports.
They're waiting for a few more people from their group
to arrive. These last few hours are specially hectic, with
(04:38):
extra security and COVID protocol thousands of fans arriving downtown
for the draft kickoff in the NFL scrambling to broadcast
their first ever hybrid in person and virtual draft. Here's
DeVante's agent, Calton Crenshaw, a lifelong Cleveland resident and native,
explaining this year's unique set up. It's probably like a
(05:01):
quarter of a mile stretch of land, Like, you know,
they had a bunch of stuff outside, and then there
was a stage, and then there was like a large
area that was like the super industrial tent. It was
basically like a permanent structure, but it was a tent
because they it doesn't exist. And um, that's the Graham Room, pods.
All of that was inside of this tent area. Usually,
(05:23):
the green room is a massive open lounge area near
the stage with tables and couches with the top twenty
to thirty prospects wait for their name to be called.
In two thousand twenty one, everything is different, so like
the draft, these they were bunker down like deep in
the middle of the layout of the draft in this
like little enclosed living room. This year's draft set up,
(05:46):
it's carefully designed for COVID safety protocols. Almost everything is
outdoors near the lakefront, in between the Brown Stadium and
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It's spaced out
more like a music festival than a draft. So it's
fitting that rock stars Kings of Leon finished their pre
draft concert on the main stage as Davante, his family,
(06:07):
Garme and Kelton take their seats in the green room
and at the Pensacola Beach House in Florida. Alex Leatherwood
settles into the couch with his family, watching as NFL
Commissioner Roger Goodell steps up to the podium. Three three
one NFL Draft is now officially owen, it's not like
(06:32):
I'm gonna get pick number four. It's not like I'm
gonna get pick number four, but it's probably gonna be
anywhere from nineteen to twenty seven. As they look on,
Alex tries to set expectations with his friends and family
in the room they watched the Jacksonville Jaguars and make
the first pick in the draft, selecting Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
(06:55):
Alex knows it's unlikely he'll be taken before pick eighteen
or nineteen, and that he could end up being selected
as late as pick forty, so he watches calmly as
the first five picks roll off the board. Pick number
six belongs to Miami and they need a receiver. Most
people think this could be where Davante gets selected, especially
(07:16):
since he played with the Miami quarterback in college. Davante
watches and listens from the green room as the picks announced.
(07:47):
Miami selects his teammate friend and fellow Alabama receiver Jalen
Wantle DeVante steps out to hug Jalen. The show. Watching
(08:09):
his teammate at the same position get picked ahead of
him doesn't seem to bother Davante. He's as composed as ever.
It's Alex who was surprised because Jalen missed the whole
season with a broken ankle. Analysts are also surprised to
see the injured receiver get picked ahead of the Heisman
Trophy winner. Here's Alex watching from the Pensacola living room.
(08:34):
Smitty is still on the board that happened up last
year with like Judy and Ruggs and Ruggs one before.
That's crazy, ain't it. I mean, like, to be honest,
I think that was the only one he had though
that like broken ankle, but that but that was kind
of like a freak accident. Who it was crazy because
like he walked off the pin. I'm looking at life, okay, Yeah,
(08:57):
like we go we played the job like wand that's crazy.
Teams are often undeterred by injuries like this as long
as they believe in the player and their ability to
fully recover within the coming season, and the Miami Dolphins
clearly believe in Jalen Waddle. Next up at pick seven,
(09:21):
the Detroit Lions take an offensive tackle the first one
off the board, which is a good sign for Alex.
He's generally ranked as the third highest offensive lineman prospect,
so the earlier the other two players get picked, the
earlier he will likely be selected. This puts Carolina on
the clock at pick number eight. The Panthers are also
(09:41):
rumored to be interested in DeVante, has evidenced by their
head coach texting Celton last night during the Clutch dinner.
So Calton and Davante both believe Carolina is going to
pick him. Here, We'll be right back. With the eighth pick.
(10:17):
In the two thousand twenty one NFL Draft, the Carolina
Panthers select a cornerback instead of a receiver. Then it
picked nine. Denver also selects a cornerback. That puts the
Dallas Cowboys on the clock with pick ten, a team
without any need for a receiver. Here's Calvin and Davante
shocking fall out of the top ten. That process was
(10:41):
kind of stressful because you really never know, honestly in
most in most cases, so it was definitely nerve wracking.
That's a dupe. Thing about the NFL draft is super unpredictable.
So when he went to Carolina, I'm like, all right,
you know, we might go on a little slide here
because I knew Philly was trying to move up. I
knew Denver wasn't gonna take him, and I knew Philly
(11:04):
was trying to move up. But I'm thinking at the board,
I'm like, well, Ship, they're not gonna trade. The Cowboys
are going to trade with a division arrival to let
them get the player they want, you know what I'm saying.
So I was just like, well, I guess we're going
to New York. At this point, I was just kind
of like, we're going to New York. It is what
it is. New York holds the very next pick at
(11:34):
number eleven. The Giants need a receiver and have expressed
interest in DeVante throughout the pre draft process. So Calton
and DeVante and everyone else following the draft all assume
DeVante will be playing for the New York Giants. But
then DeVante's phone rings, I love yes, sir, A good
(11:55):
playing your shaved? Thank you bad. I feel good. I'm
ready to go to work. A surprise trade unfolds and
it's the Philadelphia Eagles calling, And then DeVante's typical calm
and composed way, he just quietly found out and shared
(12:18):
that the Eagles are going to draft him lad place.
So yeah, Brom, so proud of you. Ye grass bro,
(12:47):
he says, God brother, let we say we'll get it, brother.
What The Eagles make a trade with their division rivals,
(13:09):
the Cowboys to jump up two spots to pick number ten.
This puts them ahead of their other division rivals, the
New York Giants, and allows them to select the player
that Giants wanted, Davante Smith. This type of intra division
first round trade almost never happens because now the Cowboys
will have to play against Davante at least twice a year. However,
(13:30):
in this instance, the Giants planned to select DeVante with
the next pick anyway, so the Cowboys would have to
face Davante twice the season regardless. That makes the trade
a win win for Billy and Alice and a stunning
blow to New York. The move also shocks teams and
fans around the league. Only Davante seems stoic about it
as he walks out to the stage to meet NFL
(13:52):
commissioner Roger Goodell, who hugs him and hands him his
brand new Philadelphia Eagles jersey. I'm gonna turn out by graduation.
Thank you. See how you like this that look? Okay?
Oh yeah, for sure, there you go. Glad you're here, man,
(14:12):
Thanks for coming. Thanks bad you need anything, you let
me know, be right down the road. Now you're gonna
have to get these Eagles fans. Man. We'll just hold
that right here. I will take Okay, come on, guys,
(14:33):
thank you, thank you, thank you. You got a great player,
got a great kid. For important. Thank you need something,
let me know. Okay, they're gonna take care of you.
Takes to stand right here. It takes an We're gonna
go backstage now, do a couple of interviews, and take
some quick with your family. Davante heads backstage again, this
(14:57):
time to do interviews for his new team and the
local Aladelphia press. Meanwhile, in Florida, Alas continues watching the broadcast.
He's trying to figure out what team might draft him
based on how the top ten played out. Bro when
the process first broke. When the process first started, they
(15:18):
was working with me heavy, the Colts coaching me heavy.
But like, really, bro, it really all depended on this
top ten. I'll know what's gonna happen, like you got
like you gotta see what's gonna happen with the Chargers,
then Minnnnapolis, the air Raiders in Miami, because like Miami
like me a lot. They said that they're gonna take
me last year number eighteen them who else coach they
(15:41):
like me, Feelers they like me a lot, Jaguars they
like me a lot. And I feel like, worst case scenario,
I'm going to Baltimore because they got two restaurant picks.
So I'm gonna go to Baltimore. But but ain't trying,
but trying to go ahead late there's not enough money.
But like like it all depends on what happened with
(16:03):
like everybody else has been on the first contract. The
difference between getting picked in the teens or falling to
the end of the first round will be about five
million dollars. That's why Alex was worrying about the money.
So when the Chargers picked Northwestern tackle were Shawn Slater
(16:23):
at thirteen, it's another good omen for Alex. The two
highest ranked tackles are now off the board and he
could be picked in almost any spot. Moving forward, We'll
be right back. Alice continues watching the draft broadcast as
(16:49):
the New York Jets trade up to pick fourteen. They
select a guard from USC and now New England is
on the clock, with Arizona in Las Vegas following with
the next two picks. Hello, all right, yes, sir, yo,
(17:14):
what's up? Coach? I appreciate the coach, Yes, sir, that
sounds good. I appreciate it. Oh god, y what the PV?
(17:55):
What TV? Alex realizes they still have to announce the
pick on TV and that the broadcast will show him
live when that happens. So he and Coral Silverberg, a
member of his team at Clutch, scrambled to clear everyone
out of the camera's path. Well that way, everybody go
that way, go go go. Oh yes, Alex, Yeah, all right,
(18:57):
here's Alex about getting that phone call from the Raiders.
There was a coach Gruten's number, because he had called
me like a couple of days before. They talk about something,
and well, to be honest, what exactly what he said
was kind of a blur because I was just laden talking.
(19:20):
I'm just like yeah, yeah, yeah, you know, like agreeing
with whatever he was saying, and I was just like, oh, Ship,
I'm going to vegash. After the pick has been announced,
Alex's older brother runs over to celebrate with Alex and
their mom. Yes, I told you, Bro, I told you, Bert,
(19:53):
I told you that. I mama moment I got told
(20:16):
I told you, I told you. I don't need to
cry and take it off. Take it off. Even though
Alex can often be quiet and soft spoken, like his
old teammate Davante, in this instance, the emotions are too overwhelming.
It is like a dream come true. But I mean
(20:36):
I knew it was gonna happen, just because like when
I had set my mom to do it back when
I was like fourteen, and I told himself, yeah, I'm
gonna like take his mission head on and I would
be successful and things like that. I knew it's gonna happen.
So it's really just like everything got planned and told
myself that I was gonna do, like I already like
(20:57):
lift through this in my head because I manifested it,
worked at it and made sure that I wasn't gonna
be denied. Here's jaretts Parks, Alex's teammate at Alabama, who
watched his best friend's journey over the last four years.
I couldn't do anything but break down in tears because
I've just watched it up close, piece by piece, and
(21:20):
that plan came to life, and to hear his name
get called on that screen, it was just one of
the amazing moments to just be there and witness and
just be a part of. Back in the living room,
Alex Jaretz and Alex's friends and family continue celebrating. We're
going to Vegas. Bogus far, We're going to Vegas. It's
so no state tax. Hey, we lit, we lit. All
(21:44):
of Alex's pre draft dreams are coming true. He made
it to the NFL, he became a first round draft pick,
and he's playing for a franchise in Nevada. Well, there's
no state income tax. The plan he's been executing for
seven years straight is officially a succes us, And unlike DeVante,
Alex wants everyone to know how he's feeling right now. Yeah,
(22:20):
are we going to read? As Alex and his crew
celebrate into the night, DeVante and his family drive back
to the hotel in Cleveland to get ready for a
celebratory dinner. DeVante's longtime mentor Vincent Sanders describes the moment
(22:43):
before they head out. He's still a team to fan
taking pictures of I'm at and I'm coming downstairs and
I get off the elevator and I meet him and
he was like to come out with So he's gonna
meet him. You on elevator and go up to his
own so you change on the way after. He's like like,
I was like wow, well, like what he's like, dude,
(23:07):
I just went t pick. I was like he was
like tenths pick bro in NFL trap Like yeah. So
we just sat there for a man room like like wow,
we just what's saying that? It just was like like
ship and then you could tell we foun that was it.
(23:32):
It was down. Once they're quiet, moment of appreciation ends,
Davante goes back to his room. He quickly gets ready
for his celebration dinner. I kept my suit on, I
grabbed my charger. We all went to a restaurant, just
my family and things like that, the Klutch family of course,
all of us on. We kind of celebrated by stayed
(23:53):
probably ten minutes, ten fifteen minutes, and I went back
to the hotel, went sleep because it was just like this,
this is not me. I don't like being out. I
don't like like big gatherers and stuff like that. So
I got me some eat and then I left and
just like all right, it's time for me to go.
But like my my mom mightee like they stayed. They
enjoyed it well, like I live. Davante said that his
(24:15):
own celebration for only about ten minutes. Then the very
next morning, he Vincent fly to Philly to meet his
new coaches. Here's Vincent, So you wanted me to file
them with it. So I filed and we get a
we're gonna meet all the coaches and all that stuff.
His first questions, I'm gonna get to our pad tonight
to start starting to play. So they're like, you know,
(24:38):
you ain't going out. I'm going like the room, so
you know, you know people there looking like, yeah, right, whatever,
you're going. You're the Smith. You just can't You're going.
You can't blame the Eagles staff for being incredulous. The
team planned to take Davante to a Philadelphia seventy sixers game,
(24:59):
where he'd ring ceremonial bell before tip off as a
guest of honor. Then they planned to sit him courtside,
right next to Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, and of course
they assumed he'd go out on the town after that.
Here's devote again. I mean, get to feel it, meet
two coaches and things like they do some media stuff
with them, and then just at I mean, I went
(25:21):
to a basketball game bringing the bill. I didn't even
stay for the game. I just run the bill and
I left from me. He went to the hotel and yeah,
straight in the playbook, straight to that room. I'm talking
about straight to room. We got a restaurant. We at
room service. When I came to his room was connected
right next to buy Where I walked through the room,
(25:42):
he was under the covers with a pencil in hand,
the book in the op. He wasn't interested in courtside
seats at an NBA game. He didn't care about being
the guest of honor there or going to the hottest
restaurants are Club in Philly. He just wanted to get
back to football as soon as he possibly could. The
(26:05):
same way you might love cake blue bell ice cream.
He loves learning plays and that that's what he does.
His mom, Christina, sums it up. Yeah, he didn't stay
the whole game. He left and went back and he
wanted to get He wanted to get into the playbook.
(26:28):
But but that's him, you know, always trying to be
one step ahead. Davante has proven as much as anyone
in recent college football history, no matter how old you are,
how tall you are, or how much you weigh, if
you're one step ahead, it means you're open. So NFL
defenders better get ready. The quiet, humble, one and seventy
(26:52):
pound kid from a small town in Louisiana is coming
for them, and they might already be a step or
two behind him. Next I'm drafted. I started grooming him
at an early age to play quarterback. Everything we did
(27:14):
was football. In this off I realized that he had
a chance to be somebody. That's how things are in Texas, right,
it is really all about football. Well, I got death
threads starting to seek for multiple years. Freshman year for sure,
stopmore year ding a year and like, I've been booed
in my own stadium multiple times. Yeah, he was booed.
That's tough as a parent, you know, when you're sitting
at a game a little over a quarter into the
Auburn game and he got benched, but during the game
(27:37):
getting booed, and as a parent, you know, it's tough.
He's always considering like, Okay, now, how am I gonna
make this better? How am I gonna make this better?
He really is a lot of pressure. I said, Remember,
Jim Ball can yell at you, but he'll never be
as hard as your dad is. To me, it's one
of the most remarkable things I've been a part of.
(28:00):
Drafted is a production of tree Fort Media, Clutch Sports Group,
and I Heart Radio. The executive producers are Kelly Garner,
Lisa Ammerman, Eric Slott, Eric Weiner, and Sewn Titone. The
series is produced and written by Eric Winer Garme Mamalu
is our coordinating producer. Coral Silverberg is our associate producer.
Tom Monahan is our senior audio engineer. The show is mixed,
(28:23):
edited and hosted by Me Stephen Johnson. Additional production helped
from Tim Shower and Haley Mandelberg. For transcripts of the
show and more information Undrafted, quote a tree Fort dot Fm,
and for more podcasts from my Heart, visit the I
Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
your favorite shows,
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