MOBILE — The job interview is finished.
After all the pomp and circumstance, training and meetings — on top of the actual job interviews with all 32 NFL teams — Spanish Fort …
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MOBILE — The job interview is finished.
After all the pomp and circumstance, training and meetings — on top of the actual job interviews with all 32 NFL teams — Spanish Fort alumni DJ James and Kris Abrams-Draine have polished their NFL Draft resumes about as best they could.
Any final touches were made during Saturday’s Senior Bowl contest at Hancock Whitney Stadium where they got to play in the city they grew up in one last time. The National Team beat the American Team 16-7 with three field goals from Stanford’s Josh Karty.
“It felt good just to be back in my hometown playing football again,” Abrams-Draine said after Saturday’s game. “It was a good feeling (to play in front of family) because I knew they were going to support me through whatever.”
Not only that, but the former Toro teammates got to reunite on the same sideline with the American Team for one last go-around.
“It’s amazing being able to communicate with him on the field again, it’s so surreal. Just both of us get to compete and show our skills to other teams,” James said after Wednesday’s practice. “I’m just happy to be home, I’m so happy and I’m just trying to fly around have fun with my teammates.”
While the National Team emerged victorious, all of the Senior Bowl prospects increased their draft stock this week with hands-on lessons from high-profile coaching staffs.
“I feel prepared for what’s next because I had coaches that were from the NFL,” Abrams-Draine said. “Now I’ll go back to training like before I got here.”
James, too, felt like he took advantage of the time he had in front of NFL Draft executives.
“Just proving to teams that I’m an all-around corner. I can press, I can play off, I can get involved in the run game,” James said on Wednesday. “I’m a teammate guy and just showing them that I’m an all-around corner.”
Now, with a sigh of relief, they await their next steps before the NFL Draft which is set to kick off on April 25.