With it being draft weekend, several NFL players are sharing their stories from when they were selected, giving advice to the incoming rookie class. John Wolford sent a tweet on Friday not reminiscing about being drafted, but about his path to the NFL after going undrafted in 2018 out of Wake Forest.
Wolford wasn’t signed by the Jets until August that year, four months after the draft concluded. He was then cut by the Jets a week later and didn’t catch on with another team. So he signed to the AAF and was drafted by the Arizona Hotshots in the second round. He only needed eight games in the AAF to prove he was deserving of another shot in the NFL, landing an opportunity with the Rams in 2019.
He’s been with L.A. ever since and his path to the NFL is an example of why prospects should never give up if they don’t break through initially.
It’s draft weekend. I was never drafted. I was not signed after the draft, cut twice, told countless times I wasn’t good enough. Through all that I’ve learned it’s not about proving those people wrong.Prove the few that always believed in you right. Prove yourself right. pic.twitter.com/25mWPoQQp6
— John Wolford (@johnwolford_9) April 30, 2021
Wolford is still a backup and hasn’t gotten a chance to be a full-time starter yet, but with the work he puts in and the skill set he showed last season, don’t be surprised if he gets a bigger opportunity with another team in a few years.