In the middle of Tar Heel country, where baby blue and white rules eastern North Carolina, sits a small ranch in Pinetops, N.C. – 15 minutes outside of Tarboro – where a weathered scarlet and gray flag is proudly displayed in the front yard.
That flag is hung at the home of Tyronda Whitaker, the mother of Tyquan Lewis.
Whitaker moved to Pinetops in 2014, after her son had already left for Ohio State. The flag still flies there with just 1.5 hours to go until the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, but Lewis is nowhere to be found as his mother prepares dinner for family and friends who are expected to come over in anticipation of Lewis being selected by an NFL squad.