TOLEDO, Ohio — The NFL Draft has come and gone. No local players were selected this year, but there were a few that signed quickly after as free agents.
As round seven of the NFL Draft ended, there were still plenty of big names that went undrafted. Mike Warren, the former Central Catholic running back, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. But one really cool story is Jermiah Braswell. One of Warren’s teammates at Central, he was under-recruited out of high school. He went to Youngstown State, where he played wide receiver, and had to work hard to get his name out there. He did that, and now, he’s getting a shot with the Arizona Cardinals.
“It means the world to me,” said Braswell. “I’ve been working for this since I was little. It’s one of those things that you tell people, ‘I wanna be in the NFL,’ and people look at you like ‘yeah, is that really gonna happen?’ It’s a one in a million chance. To be part of that percentage, it means the world to me. I can’t do nothing but thank God for the opportunities that he’s given me and my family. I will take advantage of these opportunities.”
Being one of those under-the-radar guys, Braswell has learned he has to work extra hard to get recognition. That should help him as he gets a shot at the next level.
“Just being an underdog, there’s nothing wrong with it,” said Braswell. “Just having that chip on your shoulder where people don’t believe in you or maybe people don’t know who you are. This gives me the chance to go out there and show people who you are and that you can play the game at a high level. It’s very special. To get the recognition you’ve been working for all your life is a surreal moment for me.”