With the 14th pick in the 4th round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins selected ACU All-America wide receiver Edmond Gates. He was the 111th player taken overall and the first taken who didn't play NCAA Division I.
Moments before Miami made its selection, Gates got a call from Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland - himself an Abilene native and Cooper High School graduate - who asked Gates if he was healthy (Gates confirmed he was) and told him to look at the TV screen. That's when it became official.
It completes a life-changing six months in Gates' amazing life. Last October, he was reunited with his father, who completed an 18-year sentence for murder, for the first time since he was six years old. Now, the Vernon, Texas, native who came to ACU in hopes of walking on the basketball team and because his cousins Bernard Scott and Shaylom Richardson and junior college friends Johnny Knox and Courtney Lane had been recruited to play football for the Wildcats is in the NFL.
I asked Edmond what he was feeling. He kept saying "blessed" and wanted to make sure he gave God any glory that might otherwise come his way.
Ireland had been vocal about wanting to draft speed, and Gates certainly has that to spare, having run the fastest time by a wide receiver at the NFL Combine - despite having an injured groin. He's expected to get a great opportunity to return kicks, which he did at ACU in his first two seasons.
Gates joins a Dolphins team that went 7-9 last season and struggled to find healthy and productive quarterbacks. Chad Henne started 14 games, throwing for 15 TDs and 19 interceptions. Chad Pennington and Tyler Thigpen also started a regular season game. The Dolphins didn't use their early picks in the draft on a quarterback, suggesting that Henne will go into training camp this summer as the starter.
Miami had one 1,000-yard receiver in Brandon Marshall, who led the team with 86 catches. Davone Bess was next with 79 receptions. The Dolphins said they wanted a receiver in this draft, and Gates is their man.
Here's some information on Gates on the Dolphins' website.
And here's something to be thankful for: assuming there is indeed an NFL season, Gates will return to Texas on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, when Miami visits Dallas at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
Moments before Miami made its selection, Gates got a call from Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland - himself an Abilene native and Cooper High School graduate - who asked Gates if he was healthy (Gates confirmed he was) and told him to look at the TV screen. That's when it became official.
It completes a life-changing six months in Gates' amazing life. Last October, he was reunited with his father, who completed an 18-year sentence for murder, for the first time since he was six years old. Now, the Vernon, Texas, native who came to ACU in hopes of walking on the basketball team and because his cousins Bernard Scott and Shaylom Richardson and junior college friends Johnny Knox and Courtney Lane had been recruited to play football for the Wildcats is in the NFL.
I asked Edmond what he was feeling. He kept saying "blessed" and wanted to make sure he gave God any glory that might otherwise come his way.
Ireland had been vocal about wanting to draft speed, and Gates certainly has that to spare, having run the fastest time by a wide receiver at the NFL Combine - despite having an injured groin. He's expected to get a great opportunity to return kicks, which he did at ACU in his first two seasons.
Gates joins a Dolphins team that went 7-9 last season and struggled to find healthy and productive quarterbacks. Chad Henne started 14 games, throwing for 15 TDs and 19 interceptions. Chad Pennington and Tyler Thigpen also started a regular season game. The Dolphins didn't use their early picks in the draft on a quarterback, suggesting that Henne will go into training camp this summer as the starter.
Miami had one 1,000-yard receiver in Brandon Marshall, who led the team with 86 catches. Davone Bess was next with 79 receptions. The Dolphins said they wanted a receiver in this draft, and Gates is their man.
Here's some information on Gates on the Dolphins' website.
And here's something to be thankful for: assuming there is indeed an NFL season, Gates will return to Texas on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24, when Miami visits Dallas at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
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2 comments:
I believe David Arkin, the pick right before Gates played at Missouri State (NCAA 1AA)
Welcome to the Miami Dolphins Edmund!! Continue to work hard and stay away from all the bad things that have plagued your family throughout your life. What you have been given is a blessing in disguise, so do your best to live up to the opportunity. Hard work and dedication will propel you into a bright future and will set a great foundation for the values that you wish to instill in your son. I wish you the best of luck, and hope to see you run by cornerbacks for years to come.
Congratulations and Good Luck!
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