Pam Veasey's phone rang on Saturday afternoon of the 2021 NFL draft, her son on the other end of the line. She expected the video call at some point that day, but this seemed early. So she picked up and asked Avery Williams, "What's up?"
Williams lowered his head. A baseball cap on it, Veasey saw the Atlanta Falcons logo. She couldn't quite believe it: Atlanta had taken her son in the fifth round. Mother and son couldn't be together for this seminal moment -- Williams didn't want anything big for the draft, and Veasey's work kept her in Atlanta -- but she'd seen all the work he'd put in along the way.