He watched the entire NFL draft with nervous anticipation and his cell phone by his side. A text or call from a friend during the draft was enough to make Smith’s heart race with eagerness. As each pick went by without a phone call or his name being announced, his chances of being drafted dropped.
After the 255th pick was announced there was only one pick left. For some, being Mr. Irrelevant would have been a disappointment, but not for Smith. The NFL draft has become a prime-time event that now has NFL prospects glorified and put up on a pedestal like never before.
Players are walking the red carpet and taking interviews from television networks. The lights are bright and the spotlight is on these prospects, but for Smith, Mr. Irrelevant would have been enough. The pick was announced, and his name was never called.
The draft was over and reality sunk in for Smith. “Wow,” he said describing his thoughts after he went undrafted. “This may be it. It’s hard not to be negative immediately after because that’s your dream. That’s why you play the game. After the initial shock of not being drafted passed I knew I had some work to do, and I wasn’t about to give up my dream.”
That’s where things sort of spun out of control for Smith. NFL.com and local Bay Area media in Oakland were reporting that Smith was signed by the Raiders as an undrafted free agent, and his name is still there as an undrafted free-agent signing. Smith’s phone, Twitter and Facebook started blowing up with support and congratulations from everywhere.
“My uncle in Jamaica actually called me to tell me congratulations. I never heard anything from my agent or the Raiders,” Smith said. “...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders
