Sitting in Peden Stadium's bleachers during football-
McRae said. I'm just anxious and nervous just ready to see where I'm going to end up.
Since his season ended in November, McRae has flown to Florida to work out with an Olympic sprinter, traveled to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine and participated in Ohio's Pro Day. He's also worked out on his own and with his teammates, all while taking classes to finish his degree in recreational management.
McRae will finally get a chance to relax and see if all of his hard work will pay off. He will fly back to Atlanta today to be with his family and see if his name will be called in this weekend's NFL Draft.
It'd be a dream come true to get drafted McRae said. I don't even know words to describe it. It's just knowing that all the work that I put into this
and playing football and trying to get to the next level
just to know that it paid off would be huge.
If McRae were to get drafted, he would be the first Bobcat taken in the NFL Draft since 2002, when punter Dave Zastudil was selected in the fourth round by the Baltimore Ravens.
Ohio has had 26 players drafted in its history, but only Zastudil has been selected since the NFL cut the draft to seven rounds in 1994.
Despite his success, McRae is still the same laid back guy that he was when he started playing organized football for the first time in the eighth grade, his mother, Cheral Hope, said.
One day, Hope came up to watch one of McRae's games and saw his picture hanging in the hallway on the fifth floor of Peden with other prolific football players in Bobcat history. She wanted to stop and take pictures of it, but McRae didn't want any part of it.
He's very humble
Hope said. He doesn't want to draw a lot of attention to himself
and it's very ironic that he would be the one to be so successful. ... it just turns out what he would do in life would bring attention to him.
Even now, when the spotlight is on him, McRae avoids attention.
It would be huge to have another Bobcat in the NFL
McRae said. I think that will help scouts get back here to see some of the younger guys
give them some exposure.
The biggest thing working against McRae's draft chances is the amount of quality running backs that came out early for this year's draft.
Generally, most experts and draft publications have McRae going in the latter rounds or going undrafted.
Even if McRae goes undrafted, a team will almost assuredly sign him as a free agent.
I would love to get drafted
McRae said. But I also understand that free agency isn't a bad thing. As long as I have the opportunity to get into camp and get to show my talents
I'm fine with it.
