Eric Espada / Stringer PhotoG/Getty

For young football players, being picked in the NFL Draft is one of the greatest honors and thrills of their lives. When the Indianapolis Colts selected wide receiver Josh Downs in the third round, that emotional moment was on full display.

The Colts posted a split-screen video of the moment, showing both the team’s war room and Downs while he got the call with his family.

Watch that emotional reaction from Josh Downs, here:

Shortly after Chris Ballard, Indianapolis’ GM, tells Downs that they’re going to be selecting him, he was overcome by emotions.

“I swear to you, you will not forget this,” Josh Downs said through tears. “I swear to you.”

By this point, all of his family and friends knew that the Colts took him. They can be heard cheering for him while he breaks down crying while still on the phone with the Colts.

“I’m telling you right now, I’m ready, and I’m going to do big things for you, and I promise you that right now,” Downs said before going inside to watch the selection on TV with everyone.

Once he gets to Indianapolis, Downs is going to be a key piece of the team’s offensive rebuild. The Colts are hoping that he can become a primary target for Anthony Richardson, who they took in the first round. Downs will also be working with Reggie Wayne, a Colts legend who now works as the team’s wide receivers coach.

While he was in college, Josh Downs put up massive numbers for North Carolina. In both 2021 and 2022, he was an All-ACC selection. During his college career, Downs had 202 receptions for 2,483 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Colts owner Jim Irsay made an admission about Will Levis

When the Indianapolis Colts took Anthony Richardson in the first round, Will Levis was still on the board. He’d stay on the board too, sliding all the way to the second round before going to the Tennessee Titans.

Of course, leading up to the draft, there was debate about who the Colts should take between the two. Now, Indianapolis’ owner Jim Irsay has made an interesting admission about Levis.

“I think we would have taken Will Levis,” Irsay said. “We liked him.”

The Colts liked Richardson more, so they took him. However, had the draft fallen differently, there is a chance that Levis could have still been a top-five pick.

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