Back to the NFL Newsfeed

'Agony and ecstasy': The art of the draft call

PITTSBURGH -- Ryan Shazier and his family got the tip from agent Jimmy Sexton, who was on the phone with the Dallas Cowboys from inside the green room during the 2015 NFL draft.

"The Cowboys are going to take you," Sexton told the table.

Shazier's father, Vernon, and Luke Fickell, Shazier's defensive coordinator at Ohio State, started firing off texts to loved ones about Shazier's new NFL home. Seconds later, Shazier got the call everyone assumed was from Dallas with the 16th overall pick.

Vernon was about to hit send when his son's words froze his thumbs.