The NFL Draft is about building rosters and making teams better. But it also makes dreams come true for the young men who take that rare step from the college level to the pros that only a small percentage actually get the opportunity to do. While you can still be successful as a college free agent, it’s a special, life-changing moment for most of these individuals to be drafted, understanding that it can change the fortunes of their entire family in time.
Back in 2009, it was a particularly special moment for one neighborhood in particular. After the Pittsburgh Steelers accumulated multiple third-round picks that year by trading their second and fourth-rounders, they drafted two boys from the same neighborhood less than an hour apart.