Budding NFL pro Julius Welschof was also highly rated by the football team of German-American star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown before the draft. St. Brown’s Detroit Lions and the New England Patriots “called a lot” – but in the end he ended up with the Pittsburgh Steelers instead.

“The Steelers tried very hard. You could tell they really wanted me and not as a stopgap,” said Welschof. The 27-year-old was left empty-handed in the draft itself, with Pittsburgh only signing him as a free agent after the draft had ended. Despite the long wait, he “didn’t sit at home in a panic”, said Welschof.

In order to earn a roster spot with the six-time Super Bowl champions in Pittsburgh next season, Welschof laid out a plan early on. In college, he “already placed a lot of value on special teams. In the NFL, people like to look at whether you can play special teams or not. That’s going to be a big focus of mine,” Welschof explained.