Rueben Randle has a new appreciation for the word, with his long backstage wait at Radio City Music Hall on Friday night finally, mercifully, disrupted by the big phone call from the New York Giants.
The LSU receiver was the 63rd player chosen in the NFL draft, but as the last player left in the green room you can’t blame him if he felt a bit like Mr. Irrelevant.
„He had a lot of patience,“ said his father, Emmitt Randle.
MORE: Pick-by-pick analysis for Rounds 2 and 3VIDEO: USA TODAY breaks down Day 2 of the draftMORE: Complete coverage of the 2012 NFL draft
The NFL invited 26 players (and their guests) to the Big Apple for the draft festivities. Most of the players were selected on Thursday, and by the time the second round began on Friday night, the first-rounders had taken private jets to their new NFL cities.
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One of the invitees, Georgia tackle Cordy Glenn, didn’t bother to stick around on Friday after getting bypassed in Round 1. Glenn, chosen by the Buffalo Bills with the ninth pick of the second round (41st overall), bolted town Friday.
That left a Fab Five for Friday.
Then Coby Fleener, the tight end from Stanford, was picked by Indianapolis with the second pick of the night.
Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw left the room on the next pick, headed to Baltimore. Then Stephen Hill, claimed by the Jets in the 43rd slot.
When Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still was picked by the Bengals with the 53rd selection, Randle was left alone in the green room.
Well, not totally alone. He was surrounded by nearly a dozen family members, minus the four siblings who left town earlier on Friday.
„The main thing we did was try to keep him relaxed,“ said Emmitt, who owns a used-car dealership in Bastrop, La. „So we were in there just clowning around.“
That’s Emmitt, like Emmitt Smith?
„Yeah,“ he said. „And my wife is named Troy.“
Seriously?
„Yep.“
And your son winds up with the Giants?
„Now we’ve got to play the Cowboys twice a year.“
Emmitt had just finished watching the baby boy of his six kids handle his press conference with a mellow, low-key manner that the father sais is typical.
Randle, projected as a late first-round pick in several mock drafts, was the sixth receiver selected. If he was disappointed that he wound up as the final player picked in Round 2, he did not show it.
„There was not much I could do about it,“ he said. „It was out of my control.“
The kid surely has a good attitude about this.
„It’s going to be a great opportunity for me,“ he said.
Randle joins a perennial contender with a still-emerging, two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Eli Manning. He joins a receiving mix that includes Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. These factors, his father said, trump the draft slot.
„I told him before the draft began,“ Emmitt said, “ ‚It really doesn’t matter when you are picked. The main thing is that you wind up in a good situation.‘
„Our prayers were answered.“
The Randles weren’t the only ones seeking relief from a higher authority.
Upshaw, also pegged as a first-rounder in many mock drafts, said he prayed about 12 times.
Unlike Randle, Upshaw said he was frustrated when bypassed on Day 1-when the four Alabama teammates who were among the invited were taken.
„They all just told me to keep my head up, that my time was coming,“ he said basketball jerseys,the cheap authentic NBA jerseys supply for cheap with discount price.
The Ravens were originally slotted to pick 29th in the first round on Thursday night. When they traded down, moving to 35th, Upshaw saw it as his sign that he wouldn’t be a first-rounder. It was a huge disappointment authentic San Francisco 49ers jersey.
„That was my goal, to be a first-rounder,“ he said. „When they made the trade, that’s when the frustration set in.“
Yet Upshaw’s draft slot may ultimately prove to be only a minor annoyance. Upshaw joins a contender with a rich tradition for defense. He will play alongside All-Pros Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs and Haloti Ngata.
If that’s not enough of a formula for success, there’s the fresh chip on his shoulder.
„I want to prove everybody wrong who passed on me,“ he said. „I’m motivated.“
Shortly after Upshaw spoke, the clock struck 9 o’clock.
Randle was still in the green room.
But he later received his hero’s welcome from the home crowd, as the hundreds of Giants fans in the crowd roared their approval while Randle slapped palms with former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan and bear-hugged NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on the stage.
In the end, it was worth the wait.
