D.K. Metcalf opens up on 'stressful' fall during 2019 NFL Draft
Ole Miss receiver D.K. Metcalf was in danger of slipping out of the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
There was some chatter during the pre-draft process — especially during the moment he was going viral for being ridiculously jacked — that he might be a top 10 pick. But the New England Patriots were on the clock at 64th overall, the final pick in the second round, and they had just drafted a big, physical receiver in the first round in N’Keal Harry. It seemed like Metcalf would be a destined to continue his heartbreaking fall into the third round — until coach Pete Carroll, general manager John Schneider and the Seattle Seahawks completed a trade into that 64th spot. That’s where they took Metcalf.
When Schneider told Metcalf he’d be a Seahawk, the hulking 6-foot-3, 230 pound prospect broke down sobbing. He thanked the general manager for drafting him, and when Carroll hopped on the phone, Metcalf had a question for his coach: “Why’d ya’ll wait this long, man, damn?”
In an interview with For The Win, Metcalf explained the difficulties of waiting to hear his name called in the draft.
“Of course, nobody wants to go down that low, ” he said Tuesday in an interview to promote Nesquik. “I was mad. It was stressful.”
With 254 selections in the 2019 draft, there are 190 prospects who would’ve been glad to go that high. But Metcalf’s comments speak to the expectations he had for himself. Metcalf had attended the NFL Draft in Nashville for the first round, but when NFL teams passed on him, he decided to return home to watch the draft with his family in Oxford, Mississippi.
“It was stressful, but as soon as I got that phone call, everything changed,” he said. “I went from thinking about, ‘Oh I slipped down this low.’ It was just a blessing to be drafted and, at the end of the day, I think I landed in the perfect situation. So I’m actually glad I got picked at No. 64, because I feel like I’m in the perfect situation with the perfect scheme and I’m walking into a team that’s made the playoffs almost every year. I haven’t even thought about slipping down to 64 since I got the phone call. It doesn’t even matter to me anymore. I’m just ready to get to work.”
During that phone call, Carroll told Metcalf they were picking him and explained why Metcalf fell so far in the draft. Metcalf wouldn’t relay that information when asked, but we can piece together an educated guess. First and foremost, the media-manufactured hype (though tempered at times on this site) may have misled Metcalf and NFL fans about his actual draft value around the league. Another reason for his fall could have been his medicals, as Metcalf dealt with a neck injury during his college career. And finally, NFL teams may have been concerned about his agility workouts at the combine, when he registered the third worst 3-cone drill (7.38 seconds) among receivers. That particular exercise is often connected to route-running ability.
“I really didn’t care. I ran the 3-cone and the shuttle because it was the last thing to do. My feet were hurting, and I was just trying to get home to my family,” Metcalf said. “So if anybody has any questions to say about my 3-cone, then go watch my routes and see if I can get in and out of breaks. Or tell them come guard me and see if I can run routes well. My 3-cone and short-shuttle times were not great, but I’m just happy to be on a team right now and just not even worried about that.”
He’s headed to Seattle on Wednesday, when he expects to see his playbook for the first time. He’ll begin to work toward becoming the Seahawks’ No. 1 wideout, as veteran Doug Baldwin is reportedly mulling retirement.
And it’s fair for Metcalf to abandon his thoughts of his draft status and polarizing combine performance. We’ll soon forget about his 3-cone drill or his blazing 40-yard dash time (4.33 seconds). Instead, he’ll be measured by his production on the football field.