Six First-Round Picks Reflect on Their Draft Stage Moment—and Their Hug With Roger Goodell

What goes into dapping up the commissioner? Caleb Downs, Mansoor Delane and more reflect on the moment their name was called Thursday night.

The Cowboys selected Caleb Downs with the 11th overall pick. | Emilee Chinn/Getty Images

PITTSBURGH — It has been said that Pittsburgh is the only city with a true “entrance”—that is, the famed exit from the Fort Pitt Tunnel, at which point a dark and dreary mountain passageway gives way to a sprawling city skyline.

It is fitting, then, that the 15 first-round picks in attendance at the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday began their professional journey in almost the same exact manner, starting with a solemn journey through a tunnel, and ending with a long-awaited entrance onto a brightly-lit stage, where their lives would be changed forever. 

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It is a moment we’ve seen time and time again: the energized and emotional 20-something athlete makes what is essentially his professional debut, shepherded through the motions by commissioner Roger Goodell and a legion of passionate fans. Yet the spectacle has yet to lose its poignancy or its intrigue, perhaps because every player is different, and every entrance is one-of-a-kind.

Mansoor Delane, for instance, found himself in tears well before he appeared before the crowd; just the initial call from the Chiefs had him breaking down with gratitude.

“I was crying and couldn’t control my emotions,” he said.

Still, “I got it together quick for that TV. And then just being able to shake Mr. Goodell’s hand, it was a blessing.”

The Chiefs traded up to take the 22-year-old out of LSU, swapping their No. 9 pick (plus 74 and 148) for the Browns’ No. 6. Delane, confident and determined, applauded the move while speaking before reporters. 

“They made a great decision coming up and getting a dawg,” he said.

Delane, right, is a cornerback out of LSU. | Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images

Such was also the attitude of Giants’ No. 10 pick Francis Mauigoa, who was so fired up to join Big Blue that he ended up cursing on-air.

“[John Harbaugh] was just asking me if I’m ready,” Mauigoa told reporters following his selection. “I told him, ‘Hell yeah. When is the flight leaving?’” 

Later, asked to describe his emotions when he walked out on stage, Mauigoa emphasized his disbelief while highlighting all his parents had done to support him.

“I still can’t get over the feeling at this point,” the American Samoa native said. “It’s a dream come true. All the hard work and all the sacrifices my parents have made for me to be in this situation. … I didn’t want to let that go to waste. So to be able to be on the stage and be picked up by a team, I mean, I owe the world to them.”

While the walk to the podium is one thing, you also have to wonder what the prospects are thinking as they approach Goodell himself, the nearly 20-year commissioner and the man now in charge of their professional futures. As silly as it sounds, do they carry any anxiety about executing the perfect handshake with him? Must they hype themselves up for that moment, as well?

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Such was not the case for Arvell Reese, the No. 5 pick who insisted he was merely on autopilot from excitement.

“In the moment, I just went and did it,” Reese said. “I didn’t really think about it. I’m just excited, just dapped him up. I didn’t really think too much of it.”

Meanwhile, Saints selection Jordyn Tyson was struck more by the size of the crowd and the fervor of those inside it rather than the man meeting him on stage.

“To be honest, it was seeing all the people. Seeing how much people really love football, and seeing the impact us football players really have on people,” he mused. “It’s motivation, it keeps me going. It motivates me to be the best player I possibly can be. So I think the people were the special part.”

But among all, of course, there was still gratitude for the chance to partake in a tradition as time-honored as the Goodell dap, whether or not that bro hug required a degree of special preparation.

“Being able to shake the commissioner’s hand, it’s a legendary thing that you see as a kid when you watch the draft,” said Cowboys first-rounder Caleb Downs, “so to be in the position now, it’s honestly a great feeling.”

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