Expectations of being selected between rounds three and five of the NFL Draft proved too lofty for a former Ball State wide receiver.
Willie Snead forwent his senior season at Ball State after registering 1,516 yards and 15 touchdowns in his junior campaign. Snead felt his stock was as high as it would ever be and declared for the NFL Draft.
Teams had expressed interest in the 5-foot-11 receiver, so Snead said he believed he would be among the top of a deep class of receivers. Instead, he watched three receivers go in round three, including fellow Mid-American Conference product Dri Archer who went to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Five more receivers went in the fourth round. Three more in round five. Snead watched with friends and family as team after team passed over his name.
“It’s been a long three days,” Snead said after the NFL Draft. “When it didn’t happen, I was sitting there looking at the TV just puzzled.”
Snead released a sigh of relief when the Cleveland Browns called before the seventh round. The Browns again expressed interest after being the only team to reach out to Snead at the NFL Combine in February.
The team planned to use its final draft pick on Snead.
“[Cleveland] called me and told me I was on their draft board, and they really wanted me,” he said.
That would have made him the third Ball State player of the day to be selected. The Indianapolis Colts selected former defensive end Jonathan Newsome in the fifth round and the Baltimore Ravens selected former quarterback Keith Wenning in the sixth.
The last time Ball State had three players drafted was 2005. Unfortunately for Snead, the Browns traded that seventh-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens.
Snead didn’t have to face the reality of being undrafted for long. The Browns called again, this time telling Snead the team wanted to sign him.
Suddenly, Snead’s dream of playing in the NFL had become a reality.
“I was speechless at first,” he said. “I’m blessed to be in an organization like this.”
After meeting with the Browns at the NFL Combine, Snead said he felt like the pairing was “meant to be.” In the meantime, the undersized wide receiver is left to prove himself as ready for the NFL.
Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon failed a drug test prior to the NFL Draft, but that didn’t motivate the team to select a receiver in the draft.
Instead, the Browns will rely on free-agent picks, like Snead, to supplement a thin group of receivers. For now, Snead is ready to cement his future in the NFL.
“I think the situation is that I have to go in there and prove myself,” he said. “I have to show them that I’m worth one of the spots on the [53-man] roster.”
