NFL Careers: Ryan Slick (Rookie Year)

The Draft

Ryan waited in the 1st rounders room. He couldn't believe he was here in Radio City Music Hall. Everything he had worked for his entire life would all lead up to tonight. He thought, What did I ever do to deserve something so amazing? To anybody else that was an easy question, but to Ryan, it was as hard as the calculas he took.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you would all please gather into the seats provided, we can now begin with the draft." The crowd in the theater erupted with cheers and clapter. Ryan was nervouse, but he was more than prepared for tonight. To him, he could go anywhere. He had been contacted by so many teams it was unbelievable. Especially teams from the AFC East and NFC South. The Patriots have been looking for an answer to their quarterback problems ever since Tom Brady retired and from the short lived reign of Jimmy Garoppolo. The Jets and Falcons were also very interested in Ryan.

"With the first overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft..." Roger Goodell says. "The Los Angeles Rams select Dio Rainey, Linebacker, UCLA." The crowd erupted once again. Ryan sat back and looked at the draft board and noticed that the Patriots had pick number 5. That was the closest team that was interested in him. That was his most likely destination. "With the second overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Washington Redskins select Anthony Esperanza, corner, Washington State." Goodell announces. Ryan can see the panel of old NFL players and reporters sitting at the table beyond the first section of seats. Players like Peyton Manning and Ray Lewis sat there announcing and evaluating the picks. He wondered what they'd say about him when he finally got his chance to step out onto that stage. He hoped he'd made a good enough impression at the combine.

"With the third overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars select Noah Little, running back, Ohio State." That was one person Ryan knew was going early. He had played Ohio State the previous year in the national championship game. The game they lost. Little powered over his defense and could not be stopped. Ryan tried as best as he could to climb back from the defecit created by Ohio State but he just couldn't do it. Okay, you're about to be a professional quarterback, stop thinking about this stuff. Ryan had to drill himself back into order every once in a while. "With the fourth pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Green Bay Packers select Harrison Gebhart, offensive tackle, Boise State."

Now was the time he had been waiting for, the fifth pick. There was only two minutes left on the draft clock and he still had gotten no phone call. "The pick is in." Goodell says. Ryan leans back in his chair with wide eyes. He couldn't believe they passed on him. It was rediculous to think they would want anyone else. "With the fifth pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the New England Patriots select Josiah Freeman, quarterback, Colorado State." Ryan now felt a hatred towards the Patriots. Why would they invest so much time into me and then forget about me? He turned towards his mother, who was sitting with him, and said "I'm gonna beat the shit out of them every chance I get." Ryan said angrily. The next team that wanted him, the Jets, had pick fourteen. It was so far away.

The Jets skipped over him. Ryan was getting worried. His last chance of being taken in the first round was by the Falcons who had pick twenty-two. It was at pick twenty. "With the twentieth overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Houston Texans select Brock Sims, outside linebacker, University of Houston." Then the Broncos made their pick and so on. Now it was pick 22. Please God, let me hear that phone ring. Ryan prayed that entire time as he waited for the call. Finally, the phone rang. Ryan scrambled to answer it. He picked up the phone. "Hello... Yes sir... Yes sir... Thank you... Take care." He hung up his phone and looked at his family around him. "It looks like I'm gonna be an Atlanta Falcon." He grinned and and laughed with joy as his family surrounded him and showered him with hugs. "With the twenty-second overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Atlanta Falcons select Ryan Slick, Quarterback, Vanderbilt University."

Ryan walked onto the stage and waved to the crowd of cheering people. He shook Roger Goodell's hand and took a picture. He then held his round one jersey up to the crowd and smiled. He was a professional quarterback and he loved it.