Frank Gore Jr. 'prayed' he could join Bills, says there's 'no way' 257 prospects were better

Buffalo Bills running back Frank Gore Jr. isn't demoralized by the fact he went undrafted. He's using it as motivation.

Nov 6, 2021; Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA; Southern Miss Golden Eagles running back Frank Gore Jr. / Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The Gore family waited by the phone throughout day three of the 2024 NFL Draft, Frank Jr. anxiously awaiting a call that would serve as the realization of a lifetime’s worth of hard work, perseverance, and resilience. His father, legendary running back Frank Sr., waited alongside his son, he, too, anticipating the moment in which his son would formally enter the league he played in for nearly two decades.

The call would not come during the draft itself.

Frank Gore Jr. would fall through the cracks of the 2024 NFL Draft, with each of the event’s 257 picks used on different prospects. It was a bit of a shock for Gore Jr., who picked up 4,714 yards from scrimmage and 30 total touchdowns throughout his four years at Southern Mississippi, but it wasn’t a demoralizing, all-encompassing blow; it was instead a source of motivation, an opportunity to choose his own destination and carve out a spot for a team that wanted him as badly as he wanted them.

And that team was the Buffalo Bills.

“I was praying and hoping that I could come here,” Gore Jr. told reporters after the first day of the Bills’ 2024 rookie minicamp. “My prayers are answered.”

Gore Jr. has a bit of familiarity with Western New York, as his father donned the iconic ‘charging Buffalo’ helmet in the 2019 NFL season, the penultimate of the 16 he would play in the NFL. Frank Gore rushed for 599 yards that year, accounting for just a small sliver of the 16,000 he wracked up throughout his career en route to becoming the NFL’s third all-time leading rusher.

Related: CBS Sports Ranks Bills' UDFA Signing of Frank Gore Jr. as One of NFL's Best

And his son has fond memories of his dad’s time in Buffalo, particularly of the passion the team’s supporters operate with. He spoke about their fervor to the media on Friday, even singing the team’s Shout Song.’

“It was great, I came to like three games,” Gore Jr. said. “It was cold when they played the Jets at the end of the season, but I loved it here. What [do] they say? Ey-ey-ey-ey? I loved that one, I love that. This was one of the most enthusiastic places I’ve ever been.”

Excitement and heritage aside, Gore Jr. faces an uphill climb to a roster spot. He’s got some agility and elusiveness—this demonstrated throughout his time at Southern Miss—but he’s undersized by NFL standards. He’s also a less-than-inspiring athlete, registering a remarkably low 0.60 relative athletic score (out of 10).

He also joins a crowded Buffalo running back room topped by third-year back James Cook, fourth-round pick Ray Davis, and the returning Ty Johnson; just as going undrafted wasn’t a devastating blow, Gore Jr. isn’t going to shy away from competition.

“[I’ll] come every day,” Gore Jr. said. “Come to learn. Come to get better. Find a way on special teams. Just anyway that I can help this team get over the hump and be able to contribute to the team.”

“There’s no way 257 people were better than me.”
-#Bills RB Frank Gore Jr. on his motivation after going undrafted pic.twitter.com/8mRfWSd4CN

— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) May 10, 2024

Though Gore Jr., like any undrafted free agent, is a long shot to make his team’s active roster, he’s eager to prove his doubters wrong. He’s a great story who wants to be a great player, an undrafted running back who’s using the fact that he went unselected to light a fire under him and push him to a spot on the roster.

“It pushed me a lot,” Gore Jr. “I feel like there’s no way 257 people were better than me in this draft. Now that that process is over, I’m a Bill, and I’m here to compete. I’m here to push my teammates and push the running back room and try to get on special teams.”