JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The NFL Draft is a lifelong dream for every player who puts on the football pads at a young age. It is a dream that is realized by a very small number of players but even for those who don't get to make a career out of the sport of football, it does change lives.
For former Ohio State cornerback Shaun Wade, it has changed his life and he is hoping to change a few lives along the way as Wade remains very active in the community.
With just a matter of hours until the premiere event for first-year plays approaching, Wade has been busy in his hometown of Jacksonville, speaking to youth football players at a number of venues, sharing his experiences and hoping that his message resonates with these young players and that maybe a few can follow in his footsteps.
We caught up with Wade at J.E.B. Middle School on Tuesday where he addressed a group of more than 50 youth football players and a handful of their parents.
"Just show them that you can make it out of the city," Wade said. "A lot of people don't have courage and strength and they feel like life is over at a young age. I'm just trying to show them that it's not, you can always change, you can always be motivated just to do better and do great things in life and you always change your family's life."
Many of the youth in attendance were too young to remember Wade's days prior to Ohio State when Wade played at Trinity Christian high school and before that went through many of the same youth leagues that these players are going through.
Of course, we could not talk to Wade just 48 hours before the draft with talking about his draft experience and being so close to his own personal dream.
"I just can't wait to find my home, find my team and can't wait to just do great things and make plays for them," Wade said.
Wade did not take part in the first of the two Pro Days at Ohio State, but did participate in the second, along with Justin Fields, in front of several NFL teams who made their way to Columbus (Ohio).
Fields has had to endure more criticism than just about any other player in the draft, at least for players who are projected in the first round. Going into the 2021 season it was a question if it would be Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence or Fields that would go No. 1 overall in the draft. Now some "experts" are questioning if Fields is even a top-five quarterback.
"I know Justin's going to be very successful," Wade said. "They've been talking about his baseball throwing and how he's lazy. Justin is not lazy, and he's going to be great… he's got Hall of Famer potential."
Wade knows criticism. 2020 was a year of criticism as Wade moved from slot corner to outside and the one-time projected first-rounder saw his stock start to slip.
It raises the question of what position exactly Wade will play in the league. That is still not determined as different teams have different views as to where Wade could help them most and the talented defensive back is just ready to jump in wherever he is needed.
"A lot of teams got me at different positions, I've got safety, I've got nickel, I've got corner, box safety, I've got everything," Wade said. "So, just trying to find the right position, right team, right home. Whoever does draft me just know you are going to get a dog; you're going to get a player that makes plays and guard every position."
The question remains of "what if". Would things have been different if Wade would have left Ohio State after the 2019 season while his stock was higher? What could have been if Wade remained as a slot corner in 2020? What could have 2020 looked like if the preseason preparation were not altered by a global pandemic. All of those things are in the past and the upbeat Wade is focused on the future and is nothing by grateful to have the opportunities that are ahead of him.
"Wherever I get drafted, whatever round I get drafted, I'm going to be happy because this is a dream that's coming true," Wade said. "A lot of people don't get this chance, this is below .0001-percent, so I just got to enjoy it. At the same time everybody's got goals. So, with my goals, I'm setting them high, but at the same time I have got to enjoy it because God blessed me with, he blessed me with this talent. And like I said, I'm just happy man."
