Taking an unconventional route to the NFL from the Division II level, Findlay tackle Michael Jerrell saw his dream become a reality when the Seattle Seahawks selected him with the 207th pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
But long before Jerrell received the call from general manager John Schneider on Saturday, the Indianapolis, Indiana native didn't have much interest from colleges as a football prospect. Coming out of Pike High School, though he earned All-State distinction as a senior, it was his only season as a varsity starter after playing tight end through his junior year, and at 245 pounds, he wasn't on the radar for many programs at any level as recruit.
Looking back at how Jerrell ended up at Findlay in an interview on the Locked On Seahawks podcast, head coach Kory Allen, who was the Oilers offensive line coach at the time, recalled watching the late bloomer on the hardwood as a standout basketball player for the Red Devils, seeing immense potential in him as a developmental tackle.
"We saw this 6-5, 245-pound kid running up and down the court and then it was somewhere around the point that he threw down a dunk that we made sure his mom knew that he'd be taken care of financially at our place," Allen smiled.
Though Jerrell's path was far from a "straight line," including not playing in any games in 2019 and 2020 due to a redshirt season and a lost year due to the COVID pandemic, he persevered through the adversity and packed on more than 60 pounds of muscle, emerging as a multi-time All-American at Findlay and drawing interest from NFL scouts as early as 2022. After impressing at Ohio State's pro day in March and going on several top-30 visits, Seattle turned in his name as an unexpected sixth-round selection.
Most nobly, Jerrell achieved this remarkable feat while declining opportunities to transfer to Power Five programs along the way, remaining loyal to the program that gave him the chance to play college football to begin with.
When did Allen first think Jerrell had NFL potential? And how does he already have a surprising pre-established connection to one of his new line teammates with the Seahawks?
Listen to my exclusive interview with Findlay's head coach as Allen breaks down Jerrell's unlikely journey from lightly recruited high school prospect to NFL draft pick on a new episode of Locked On Seahawks in the video player above or subscribe for free to the podcast platform of your choice here.
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