The Long Shot Final

The NFL draft has come and gone and Scott Long wraps up his draft diary with this final entry.  Long went home to North Carolina to watch the draft with his friends and family and also feast on some good ol Carolina barbecue. 

There were 255 players selected over the course of seven rounds and three days.  That's 255 life-long dreams accomplished and televised in a span of 72 hours and Scott expected to be one of them.  But when draft coverage ended on day three, his name had gone uncalled.
But anyone who has met Scott knows his priorities are Faith, Family and it just doesn't really matter much after that.  Mainly because he literally had only minutes to think about it. Almost immediately after the draft the Carolina kid had signed a deal with San Francisco 49er's.
He'll be sleeping just fine.

The Draft
By Scott Long as told to Travis Williams

The draft was kind of a surreal experience.  It was nerve-racking but at the same time it was a great experience.  Just anticipating your name being called, even though mine wasn't, just to be in the situation to expect it was a blessing.
My phone started ringing around the sixth round.  Teams were calling and saying, "We didn't expect you to be here this late. We'll see what happens."

Funny story, one team called me in the sixth round that my agent had told me to keep circled. He said they really liked me and we're thinking about picking me in the sixth round. This team is on the clock and my phone rings, I'm thinking, "This is it!'   I answered and the guy on the other end said in an excited voice, "Hey Eric!"
I say, "No this is Scott Long."
I'm thinking that maybe he just has the wrong name, but he asks me to confirm my phone number and I told him it was the wrong number.  He's like, "Oh I apologize, sorry about that."
Then I see the picture come across the screen and it's a guy named Eric, and his last name was similar to mine. 

Post Draft
Immediately after the draft, there were a bunch of teams that called my phone.  I eventually had to forward all my calls to my agent.  The offers I seriously considered came down to the Denver Broncos, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and of course the San Francisco 49er's. I went with my gut feeling and chose San Francisco because they were the first to contact me and contacted me the most often.  They were really upfront and explained why things shook out the way they did as far as why they didn't pull the trigger on me in the draft. They felt like i was a good football player, I could fit in there and their depth chart matched up favorably for me.

I had never been out there (San Francisco), I'm hoping I can adjust well.  I know its alot different than what I'm accustomed to.  We'll just have to see if a little small town boy can make it in the real world.



In Closing

I wanted to use this closing to thank everyone who followed and supported this blog over the past couple of months. A special thanks to Will Thompson and Victor Anderson for helping spread the word. This has been an awesome experience and I'm grateful that Travis approached me about this opportunity. God has been so good to me, by opening a door for me to realize my dream. I encourage all of you to put your trust in him as you look to achieve the things your hearts desire.

Not just because of what you'll gain, but because of the relationship you will build with him. Which will ultimately allow you to gain something that will last forever. Peace and Love have a blessed week.

Yours truly , 84