In the throes of the NFL draft one can imagine how hectic the night can get for a prospect. Especially when that prospect is one of the year’s top quarterbacks expecting to be taken on an action-packed Day 1. Not only can the eventful evening be a whirlwind for the player, but for the important people sharing the night with them.
That was the case for Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi when it came to the selection of quarterback Kenny Pickett. Narduzzi thought that Pickett was headed to the New Orleans Saints due to the Saints still being on the clock as the call came in to Pickett’s phone. Turns out, the Saints weren’t on the phone, the Steelers were.
“Then, my phone rings at 10:12; it’s Coach Tomlin,” Narduzzi said as he recounted the events. “And I’m like, why is Coach Tomlin calling me? So Coach Tomlin calls and he’s like, ‘Hey, did you see whose got him?’ I said. ‘Yeah, the Saints. You’re one off.’ He’s like, ‘No, we got him.’ I was like, no, I just saw — it was like we were in a movie. He was like, ‘No, we got him.’”
Draft day phone calls are a quintessential part of the experience. But they aren’t always the smoothest part of the process. Regardless of the confusion, Pickett and Narduzzi had their night made, as did the city of Pittsburgh who saw their hometown college quarterback stay home.
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