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Where Were They On Draft Day?
As the 2003 NFL Draft quickly approaches, current Cardinals players shared their draft experiences and a few tips for draft prospects!
Chris Dishman, 4th round, 1997 Draft
“I was at my wife’s brother’s house in Lincoln, Nebraska. I didn’t really expect to go until sometime on the second day and when the Cards called Sunday morning, I was still sleeping. I never expected to play college ball, much less in the NFL, so I wasn’t too nervous. I knew that being a 4th round pick I would have to prove myself and compete for a position so I was mainly excited about the competition.”
Anthony Clement, 2nd round, 1998 Draft
“I took all of my family down to Houston because my agent had a nice little private house out in the country for us to stay at. He had a chef to cook for us all day. We shot pool and we sat around watching the whole first day of the draft. I had a phone call from Dallas that they were going to draft me , but the next thing you know I got a call from the Cardinals were going to pick me. I was like ‘Wow, I am a big time.’ I really didn’t care when, but to go second round, that was big time, that was a blessing, more than I expected. My agent threw a party for me because he had a feeling I would go the first day. All I was worried about was being drafted.”
Kyle Vanden Bosch, 2nd round, 2001 Draft
“I was at home in Iowa at my parent’s house with my mom and dad and my brother and sister and some of my cousins. We started to watch but then the first round took so long, we just sat around the house. I pretty much sat close to the phone. I wasn’t really nervous. It was kind of just relief because I had waited for so long. I know I had done everything I could up to that point to put myself in pretty good position so I was just ready to get it over with. All the picks up to that point had taken at least a few minutes off the clock and as they were turning in the pick before me, they called and told me they were turning me in as their pick. I had told people not to call, but a couple of people did anyway to wish me luck and so I assumed it was someone calling to see how things were going. It kind of caught me by surprise. I was actually expecting to go middle to late second round and went really early in the second round. It took a while to sink in, I was just kind of floating that day. After I got picked, basically my whole hometown ended up coming to the house and some of the media from Sioux Falls and it was just a zoo. Eventually, a couple of my buddies took off and got away from there for a while.”
“Don’t listen to the experts and don’t necessarily listen to your agent. Your agent is going to tell you what you want to hear and the experts don’t always know what they are talking about either. Just be comfortable with what you have done up to this point and if you higher great, and if you go a little lower than you expected then that is great too. You still have a tremendous opportunity.”
Levar Fisher, 2nd round, 2002 Draft
“I was back in North Carolina at my parent’s house just with me and my parents. My sister lives six houses down the street and the rest of my family, about 30 people, were all down there. I just wanted to be with my parents only. I watched every minute of it. There were 3 linebackers that went ahead of me and when you see guys going ahead of you that you don’t feel are better than you, it is a hurtful feeling. Then there were teams that had said they were going to take me and then they didn’t. It was hard. My dad got upset and he started fussing, but when the Cardinals called me it was a big lift off my shoulders. Jerry Hardaway (scout) called me and he asked me how would I like to be a Cardinal and I was like YEAH! I didn’t want to sit there any longer. I think Cleveland was maybe on the clock, but Arizona called and told me just to hold on. Then I went down the street to my sister’s and we had a little party there.”
Wendell Bryant, 1st round, 2002 Draft
“I rented a suite at the Marriott with my friends and family up in Wisconsin at school. My mom, dad, aunt, and little cousin were all there and we watched the draft. I really didn’t know where I would end up – there were all types of different scenarios and predictions. I think I was the calmest one in my family and I definitely wasn’t calm. I was wound pretty tight. After the 10th pick happened, I was like watch, I’m going to be a Cardinals player. Then Jerry Hardaway (scout) got me on the phone and told me the Cardinals were on the block and that they were about to turn in the card for me. I was elated and just happy to finally get started with the rest of my life. That night I had a party at Club Hilltop in Madison.”
“Don’t let it overrun your life – you have to have fun or you won’t do it well at all and in this business, it will suck you dry!”
Josh McCown, 3rd round, 2002 Draft
“I was at my home in Jacksonville with my family. I was just chillin’ waiting for the call. A few of my high school coaches were there too. I played golf that morning too I think. It took forever and it was weird because a lot of local media were there and I felt bad since it was taking so long. I shot hoops for a while outside with my friends and my brothers and when the call came I was just excited to have the opportunity.”
Jason McAddley, 5th round, 2002 Draft
“I was at my apartment in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with my roommate, Terry Jones Jr. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I didn’t want to have some big old draft party and then not get drafted. I would have felt pretty stupid. The first day I watched it and then I went and kicked it with some guys on my team and then I started watching the next day when I woke up. They had my cell number so I figured they would call me wherever I was. I was more nervous when teams started calling and I was thinking I could go here or I could be there. Up until that, I was pretty calm about it. Teams started calling me in the fourth round and told me I may be their next pick if I was still around. That is when I started getting nervous and not really knowing where I’d end up and realizing that your life is really going to change. I didn’t think Arizona was going to choose me because Coach Sullivan is a great coach and I got the feeling he didn’t like me down at the Senior Bowl. It was a shock to me, but I had already practiced with these coaches so I think I probably felt more comfortable coming to Arizona than any other team.”
Where Were They On Draft Day?
As the 2003 NFL Draft quickly approaches, current Cardinals players shared their draft experiences and a few tips for draft prospects!
Chris Dishman, 4th round, 1997 Draft
“I was at my wife’s brother’s house in Lincoln, Nebraska. I didn’t really expect to go until sometime on the second day and when the Cards called Sunday morning, I was still sleeping. I never expected to play college ball, much less in the NFL, so I wasn’t too nervous. I knew that being a 4th round pick I would have to prove myself and compete for a position so I was mainly excited about the competition.”
Anthony Clement, 2nd round, 1998 Draft
“I took all of my family down to Houston because my agent had a nice little private house out in the country for us to stay at. He had a chef to cook for us all day. We shot pool and we sat around watching the whole first day of the draft. I had a phone call from Dallas that they were going to draft me , but the next thing you know I got a call from the Cardinals were going to pick me. I was like ‘Wow, I am a big time.’ I really didn’t care when, but to go second round, that was big time, that was a blessing, more than I expected. My agent threw a party for me because he had a feeling I would go the first day. All I was worried about was being drafted.”
Kyle Vanden Bosch, 2nd round, 2001 Draft
“I was at home in Iowa at my parent’s house with my mom and dad and my brother and sister and some of my cousins. We started to watch but then the first round took so long, we just sat around the house. I pretty much sat close to the phone. I wasn’t really nervous. It was kind of just relief because I had waited for so long. I know I had done everything I could up to that point to put myself in pretty good position so I was just ready to get it over with. All the picks up to that point had taken at least a few minutes off the clock and as they were turning in the pick before me, they called and told me they were turning me in as their pick. I had told people not to call, but a couple of people did anyway to wish me luck and so I assumed it was someone calling to see how things were going. It kind of caught me by surprise. I was actually expecting to go middle to late second round and went really early in the second round. It took a while to sink in, I was just kind of floating that day. After I got picked, basically my whole hometown ended up coming to the house and some of the media from Sioux Falls and it was just a zoo. Eventually, a couple of my buddies took off and got away from there for a while.”
“Don’t listen to the experts and don’t necessarily listen to your agent. Your agent is going to tell you what you want to hear and the experts don’t always know what they are talking about either. Just be comfortable with what you have done up to this point and if you higher great, and if you go a little lower than you expected then that is great too. You still have a tremendous opportunity.”
Levar Fisher, 2nd round, 2002 Draft
“I was back in North Carolina at my parent’s house just with me and my parents. My sister lives six houses down the street and the rest of my family, about 30 people, were all down there. I just wanted to be with my parents only. I watched every minute of it. There were 3 linebackers that went ahead of me and when you see guys going ahead of you that you don’t feel are better than you, it is a hurtful feeling. Then there were teams that had said they were going to take me and then they didn’t. It was hard. My dad got upset and he started fussing, but when the Cardinals called me it was a big lift off my shoulders. Jerry Hardaway (scout) called me and he asked me how would I like to be a Cardinal and I was like YEAH! I didn’t want to sit there any longer. I think Cleveland was maybe on the clock, but Arizona called and told me just to hold on. Then I went down the street to my sister’s and we had a little party there.”
Wendell Bryant, 1st round, 2002 Draft
“I rented a suite at the Marriott with my friends and family up in Wisconsin at school. My mom, dad, aunt, and little cousin were all there and we watched the draft. I really didn’t know where I would end up – there were all types of different scenarios and predictions. I think I was the calmest one in my family and I definitely wasn’t calm. I was wound pretty tight. After the 10th pick happened, I was like watch, I’m going to be a Cardinals player. Then Jerry Hardaway (scout) got me on the phone and told me the Cardinals were on the block and that they were about to turn in the card for me. I was elated and just happy to finally get started with the rest of my life. That night I had a party at Club Hilltop in Madison.”
“Don’t let it overrun your life – you have to have fun or you won’t do it well at all and in this business, it will suck you dry!”
Josh McCown, 3rd round, 2002 Draft
“I was at my home in Jacksonville with my family. I was just chillin’ waiting for the call. A few of my high school coaches were there too. I played golf that morning too I think. It took forever and it was weird because a lot of local media were there and I felt bad since it was taking so long. I shot hoops for a while outside with my friends and my brothers and when the call came I was just excited to have the opportunity.”
Jason McAddley, 5th round, 2002 Draft
“I was at my apartment in Tuscaloosa, Alabama with my roommate, Terry Jones Jr. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I didn’t want to have some big old draft party and then not get drafted. I would have felt pretty stupid. The first day I watched it and then I went and kicked it with some guys on my team and then I started watching the next day when I woke up. They had my cell number so I figured they would call me wherever I was. I was more nervous when teams started calling and I was thinking I could go here or I could be there. Up until that, I was pretty calm about it. Teams started calling me in the fourth round and told me I may be their next pick if I was still around. That is when I started getting nervous and not really knowing where I’d end up and realizing that your life is really going to change. I didn’t think Arizona was going to choose me because Coach Sullivan is a great coach and I got the feeling he didn’t like me down at the Senior Bowl. It was a shock to me, but I had already practiced with these coaches so I think I probably felt more comfortable coming to Arizona than any other team.”
