April 26, 2009

I watch the NFL draft like any other fan, although as a player you have a little more insight into what’s going on and what team needs which players.

If you’re a legitimate starter and you’re pretty comfortable that your team isn’t going to take a player at your position in the first couple rounds, you can sit back and enjoy it.

It’s tougher for non-starters and guys who have to fight season to season to make the roster. Those guys are always counting the picks, because they know the team only needs so many linemen, for example, and if they draft one on the first day there’s no way they’re going to cut him because they have too much invested in him.

The guy could be the worst player ever but he’s going to take up one of the roster spots no matter what.

Guys on the team text back and forth, saying things like I can’t believe we took a linebacker, tackle, whatever. It’s not just nervewracking for the draftees, it also is for the guys on the team, especially those that aren’t certain they have a roster spot locked up.

When I was in the draft, I was coming off an OK senior year. I had a serious knee injury as a junior and a lot of teams dropped me on their draft boards because I was an injury risk, even though someone had rolled up on me. I battled back from that injury my whole senior year.

A family friend from my hometown of Midland had a big party at their house for the draft and everybody came, my old coach, everybody I knew from football so it was a big deal. 

A lot of teams told me they were interested in me. The Jets told me that if they didn’t draft a lineman with their 4^th pick, they would take me at No. 29. But with Mario Williams going first, Reggie Bush went to the Saints and the Jets got D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

Also, San Diego, Detroit and Miami said they really liked me so I thought there was a good chance I could go to one of those teams at various points during the draft. The Texans hardly spoke to me at all, leading me to believe that my only chance to come back to Texas was Dallas because they sent Tony Soprano down to work me out.

The Jets ended up taking Nick Mangold at 29. Then Winston Justice went to Philadelphia, then Daryn Colledge to Green Bay and the freefall was on. It was my worst nightmare, with all my buddies there I could hardly watch. So we decided that for every offensive lineman that went before me from that point on, we would shotgun a beer.

Turns out about eight more guys went before me. The Dolphins didn’t have a second round pick and all the other teams that were interested in me had already gotten a lineman through free agency or something or had decided not to pick me.

Finally, I’m sitting outside by myself because I didn’t want to watch anymore and I get a call from the Texans. They have the first two picks of the third round and they take Charles Spencer first (that’s another beer) and then me. At that point I was like, “Are you guys going to take me or what?”

That day really put a chip on my shoulder. I made a promise to myself that I was going to outlast every one of those guys picked ahead of me. I definitely keep an eye on what’s going on with those guys and with the teams that could have picked me but chose another lineman instead.

That’s my draft day story. Turns out it all worked out for a reason because I love being here in Houston.  My family likes it and I feel like I fit great in this system.  

Eric Winston is a starting offensive tackle for the Houston Texans. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.ericwinston73.com.