Dallas Cowboys’ draft pick Morris Claiborne shares his draft day experience – NFL News
On Thursday, April 26, 2012, when LSU’s cornerback, Morris Claiborne, entered New York’s Radio City Music Hall to participate in the National Football League (NFL) draft, he did not know which team is going to select him.
But the team that was going to select him had already done its homework.
Dallas Cowboys had a 14th overall pick in first round of the draft and just to ensure they did not lose Claiborne, the Cowboys traded their pick with St. Louis Rams and got the sixth overall pick.
When NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, came on stage to announce the sixth pick, Claiborne, who was sitting with his family, was already talking to Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones, on his phone.
Even his family did not know that Claiborne would head to Dallas to play his first professional NFL season.
As soon as the call was ended and Goodell announced the pick, Claiborne and his family members could not help control their emotions and tears started rolling out on their cheeks.
He hugged his family members, received best wishes from everyone and headed to the stage where Goodell handed him the Cowboys’ jersey.
“I had none whatsoever. I didn't see it coming in a million years. I had no idea,” he told the team's official website.
While referring to the phone call from Jones, Claiborne said:
“I looked back at my family, and they were like, 'Who is it?' And I was like, 'The Cowboys.' Just to see the look on their face, it's just melted me because all of those guys are Cowboys fans. Real big Cowboys fans.”
Interestingly, Claiborne had no conversation with Cowboys during the NFL Combine. He did not even have a chat with any of the officials from Dallas and that’s why he was ‘shocked’ when he received the call that would determine the course of his future.
Now that he has become a part of Cowboys’ squad, he is willing to learn and adapt to the system as soon as possible.
He said:
“I feel like I'm worth it. I know my talents, I know what I'm able to do and I feel like I can come in right away and get with the team and learn the system and compete.”
Claiborne recently had a surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist and he will not participate in the team’s minicamp next week. However, he will be ready to go and take part in the team’s training camp in July.
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