LB Tahir Whitehead was stressed during drafts, excited about joining Detroit Lions - NFL News
Waiting for your name to be called up in the drafts is one of the most excruciating experiences rookies go through on draft day and the same feeling was felt by Detroit Lions linebacker, Tahir Whitehead.
Drafted by the Lions with their first pick in the fifth round of this year’s draft, Whitehead was the 138th overall selection and felt stressed while he waited for his name to be announced on the last day of the draft.
Now he is relaxed and happy at the Lions and talked with the franchise’s official website about what he felt when his name was not called until the last day.
He said:
“I was anxious basically everyday. I was talking to teams leading up to the draft, everybody was making sure they had the right numbers for me and that was just a merry-go-round, who’s going to get who and what day am I going to go.”
He continued by saying that he spent time with his close friends and family during draft days and tried to keep calm as time continued to pass without his name getting announced.
When he was finally picked by Detroit the linebacker felt happy and somewhat surprised as he had not expected the Lions to move for him.
He said:
“I had no idea. The only time I spoke to coach [Matt] Burke was at the combine.”
It seemed Burke liked what he saw of Whitehead during the combine and the player is excited to be a part of the Lions.
He is now looking to work hard and secure a place in the team’s roster while showing that the Lions made a great move in drafting him.
“I was excited. I had never been to Detroit; I never really watched too many games this year to really understand the scheme of what they do. I was just ready to go and come here and work hard to earn my spot.”
The Lions are a team on the rise after last season saw them end their playoff drought.
This year the franchise looks stronger than ever and many expect them to make another big push for the playoffs in 2012.
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