Tonight’s NFL Draft will be one of the biggest nights in the lives of young men who have sacrificed for years for the chance to play in the NFL. Fans will tune in to see which players their team selects and then voice their feelings with other fans across the country.
But another interesting storyline that will be on display tonight is the number of Black fathers with NFL roots and their sons who are looking to follow their father’s careers.
The NFL has had a few of these combinations before.
There’s Hall of Fame offensive lineman from the LA/St. Louis Rams, Jackie Slater and his son, Matthew, who is a 10x Pro Bowler and 3x Super Bowl Champion with the Patriots; Hall of Fame running back from the Dallas Cowboys, Tony Dorsett, and his son, Anthony, who played in the league for eight years; Hall of Fame safety from the 49ers Ronnie Lott and his son Ryan Nece, who spent seven years in the league, and Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow and his son, Kellen Winslow Jr., who spent nine years in the league.
On Thursday night, more legendary names will be waiting to hear the names of their sons being called.
This includes Jerry Rice’s son, Brenden, who played receiver at USC; Frank Gore’s son, Frank Gore Jr., who played running back at Southern Mississippi and Marvin Harrison’s son, Marvin Harrison Jr., who starred at Ohio State.
There are other NFL greats whose sons will be drafted, including Jeremiah Trotter’s son Jeremiah Trotter Jr (linebacker, Clemson) and Kris Jenkin’s son Kris Jenkins Jr. (defensive tackle, Michigan).
The most interesting thing about this year’s crop of fathers and sons is that the latter, with the exception of Brenden Rice, are all “juniors.”
Of all these players, Harrison Jr. is the first name that’s expected to be called on Thursday night during the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Many speculate that he will be headed to Arizona to play with Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, but you never know what may happen on Draft night.
What we do know will happen will be that the legacy of Black NFL fathers and sons will continue tonight and into Sunday afternoons this fall. It will be a special time for all of these families and the next step in a lifelong dream for these young men.
But for fathers, especially Black fathers, it’s a special moment to celebrate and one of reflection where they will remember all of the times they spent raising their sons, keeping them on the path and out of trouble, and watching them grow and pursue their dreams.
That’s special for all parents, but for Black fathers, it holds more meaning because of the obstacles they had to face and help their sons avoid and/or overcome.
So tonight we’ll cheer for all of the draft picks but we will celebrate a little harder for the Black fathers and the sons who they raised right.
