One of the many moments from the 2013 NFL draft to go viral comes from a home video of Justin Pugh, a Syracuse lineman drafted by the Giants. The video, which captures the phone call, shows an excited Pugh nodding and saying a lot of "Yes, sirs" and expressing his excitement about being a Giant. (Scroll down to watch it.)
The phone calls that alert players which team has drafted them used to be a behind-the-scenes moment that they'll always remember. Now it's one of many parts of the draft that is national TV-worthy for football fans. Which begs the question: What's being said during the calls?
One former league executive told ThePostGame that it varies from team to team, but there is actually another call before the official call that everyone sees on TV: "They usually call the player and get a feel for if any other teams have spoken to them. They then say that the team is interested in picking him and asks if he would like to be a member of their team. The player obviously says yes."
Once it's time for the official pick, the call comes and the player talks to the team's coach and owner. "The coach might ask him if he is up for the challenge," the former executive said. "They also let him know what he will need to do in the immediate future and when they want him in town. They might issue the player a challenge of some sort. Players may say something funny to the team. They will then pass the player off to other staff to give him additional information."
One of the more famous calls came when Steelers coach Bill Cowher phoned Earl Holmes in 1996. Holmes, not one to shy away from a challenge, reportedly congratulated Cowher on selecting the best linebacker in the draft.
Hunter Hillenmeyer, a former player who was selected out of Vanderbilt by the Packers in 2003, said he found out he was drafted before the news popped up on TV.
"My phone rang, I walked out front and the Green Bay head coach, Mike Sherman, was on the phone. He asked, 'How would you like to play for the Green Bay Packers next year?'" Hillenmeyer recalled. "About that time I heard all my friends and family in my house go nuts. My name had just streamed across the screen on ESPN. About 10 seconds later, it occurred to me that I had to move to Green Bay. That was a sobering second thought."
