Chapter 23: the start of the process

Zach arrives at the NFL combine in Indianapolis where the top prospects in the upcoming draft assemble to show off their strength, speed, skill and knowledge of the game.

Since he's the only ECU player that was invited, he starts to feel lonely and calls Rebecca.

Hey baby, how was your flight?

It was fine, the room is nice too.

See any familiar faces yet?

No, not yet. But I got my schedule when I arrived, and Sam requested and interview with me along with the Marauders head coach.

That was to be expected, meeting the coach is exciting.

For sure. I'm a bit nervous though... he seems like an intense man from what I've seen on tv.

Just be your charming self and draw from what you've learned over the last two years.

Have I ever told you how amazing you are?

You have, but that doesn't mean you have to stop saying it.

I knew hearing your voice would make me feel better. I'm going to turn in for the night, I have a big day ahead of me after all. Say hi to everybody for me.

I will, good luck tomorrow.

Thanks, love you.

The next day Zach heads to the stadium along with the other prospects and they get divided up into their positional groups.

First they get measured, then they get escorted onto the field.

Since its his first time in an NFL stadium Zach is in awe of the scale of it.

Damn, this is the real deal...

One of the other quarterbacks' scoffs at him.

If you had gone to a real school like me, you would have been used to it by now.

There are more important things than the size of your school.

That may be true, but Ohio State prepared me for the NFL in every way possible.

A third quarterback chuckles at him.

Do you even know who you're talking to? That's Zachary Gray. If he wanted to, he would have taken your job had he chosen to go to Ohio State.

He doesn't reply, turns his back to them and walks away.

What a douchebag. I'm Kenny Sears by the way.

Nice to meet you, I'm Zach... but you knew that already.

Everybody knows who you are. I can't believe Spencer would act like that at the combine. It's basically the biggest job interview of your life and he acts like a jerk in front of everybody.

So his name is Spencer.

Yup, Spencer Dunham. We played each other back in high school, he was an asshole back then too... talented asshole though.

Don't worry about him, we have to focus on ourselves.

You're right, screw him.

While Zach is going through the drills, Sam is observing him from high up in the stadium along with the Marauders coach Jake Rudor.

So, that's him huh?

Yup, he's the one.

You're acting like he's some sort of messiah.

Don't downplay this, you like pretty much every quarterback.

True, it's an addiction. In all seriousness, he certainly looks the part.

He sure does. Six foot five and two hundred and twenty pounds.

Let's see how fast he is.

Zach gets into position for the forty yard dash. Despite some nerves he manages to run it in four point six seconds.

Sam enthusiastically nudges Jake.

Four point six... at his size.

That check the mobility aspect. ?ow we have to see his arm in action and see how high his football IQ is.

Zach and the other quarterback prospects move to the other side of the field to do a throwing exercise with the receiver prospects.

Now that he's a bit more used to his surroundings Zach starts feeling more comfortable, leading to him effortlessly completing all of his passes. Jake is impressed once again.

Fine... I admit that you weren't overreacting. Seeing him do it on tape and watching it "live" is different though.

He's a great kid as well, you'll see in the interview.

Later that day after having lunch Zach goes to several interviews before finally heading to Sam and Jake.

Hey Zach, come in.

Good to see you again Sam. Nice to finally meet you coach Rudor.

You as well Zach, you were very impressive out there.

Thanks, it took a bit to get used to my surroundings but I got over it towards the end.

They sit down and Sam officially starts the interview.

Are there any more teams you have to visit after this?

No, you're the last stop on my schedule. We can take as long as you want.

Great... have you talked to many other teams?

Other than you, five. The Jets, Lions, Jaguars, Bears and Saints.

And how interested were they?

Difficult to say. But the Jets heavily hinted that they were going to take me. They played the angle of me growing up near New York.

Damn... they pick in front of us. I'm going to be honest with you Zach, our season did not go as planned. Our Quarterback really showed his age, and even though our first round left tackle and Marcus were great in their first year... we still ended up with the fifth overall pick. Meaning that there were only four teams worse than us.

The road wasn't easy at ECU either, but that made the journey more satisfying. Do you want me to go back to the Jets and be rude to them?

Sam laughs.

No, you don't have to damage your reputation for us. The team that's picking first already has a quarterback so they might be open for a trade... they're going to ask for a king's ransom though.

Jake lets out a sigh.

Trading up to first overall is unlikely... anyway, lets put you to the test young man. Draw me your favorite play on the whiteboard and explain it to me.

Sure thing.

Zach draws up one of the plays that Lauren designed.

Coach Turner designed this and we had a lot of success with it. All of this is based on a harmonious progression, every part is in function of another. It starts with Daquan going deep, if he's open I go for the big play or touchdown. If that option isn't there then he still stretches the field, creating space for our tight end Derrick to go to the left, usually a first down. Third option would be Lars, he takes advantage of Derrick drawing the linebacker with him which in theory creates space towards the right side of the field. Last option would be checking down to Damien, the running back in the flat.

Sam and Jake look at each other with eyebrows raised.

Was that too much?

Jake shakes his head.

No, that was exactly what I was looking for. There was clearly a lot of thought put into that play. I don't know what's more impressive, that your coach came up with it or that you can process it so effortlessly.

Coach Turner has been doing this since she was a kid. You should watch us in the Rose Bowl, her halftime adjustments won us the game. As for me, plenty of study and practice.

Jake stands up and shakes Zach's hand.

I'm going to be honest. When Sam was praising you to the high heavens, I was skeptical. But now I understand him fully, I hope that we can find a way to get you... but again, it's unlikely that well be able to pull it off.

Sam gives Zach a hug and pats him on the back.

I'm going to try my best to make you a Marauder, I can't make any promises of course.

I've got my fingers crossed.

Give my best to you mom and Rebecca.

I will, hope to see you both again soon.

Zach closes the door behind him and Jake aggressively grabs Sam's arm.

I want him... badly, we have to find a way to get up to number one!

I share your desire, but who says the Bengals would be willing to trade down? I'll give them a call and see what I can do, but they know the value of that number one overall pick and they're going to play a hard bargain.

The next day Zach flies back to California. He decides to wait outside of the hospital for Rebecca. She runs over and jumps into his arms as soon as she sees him.

Hello beautiful, did you miss me?

Of course I missed you.

He puts her back down and holds her hand as they start walking home.

How was your day?

Nothing crazy. The upcoming exams are going to be interesting though.

Don't stress yourself out, your grades have been at the top of the class all year long.

I still have to take it seriously.

Luckily your exams are after the draft, things should calm down after that.

Speaking of the draft, how did the combine go?

It was mostly fine, one of the other quarterbacks was being a jerk the entire time though.

He was probably jealous.

Maybe. I just ignored him and stuck with Kenny, he was a nice guy.

They arrive back home and go to their room to put on some comfortable clothes.

How did the interviews go? You seemed most nervous about those.

I was, face to face with strangers like that... not my thing. I think they mostly went well.

Did any of the teams give you an indication that they're interested?

Sam and the Marauders of course, they pick at five. The Jets pretty much told me that they would take me and they pick at two.

Rebecca sits down on the bed with a worried look on her face.

New York is far away... Las Vegas would still be doable, I think.

Zach sits down next to her.

What are you talking about?

Once you get drafted and move away we'll end up in a long distance relationship. Las Vegas wouldn't be that bad, it's only a couple hours away. But New York isn't close at all.

Zach holds her hand and look her in the eyes.

Don't be ridiculous, you're coming with me wherever I go. You'll just transfer schools and I'll pay for it with the money that I get from my contract.

But that's so expensive...

Rebecca, I love you so much. You're more important to me than any amount of money could ever be. You make me happy, so I want you with me. And you want to be a doctor because it makes you happy, so let's not overthink this and just move on to the next chapter of our lives. Together, what do you say?

Rebecca doesn't reply, instead she just kisses him and nuzzles his neck.

I'll take that as a yes.

I was scared of losing you, that's all.

You're not getting rid of me that easily.

Good thing I don't want to then. We'll have to talk to my parents, give them a heads up that I'm probably moving away soon.

Makes sense. I would also like to invite them to the draft along with you, Lisa and my mom.

My dad is going to love that.

I thought he would. We're all pretty much family, it just feels right for all of us to be together that day.

Where is the draft taking place? I forgot to ask.

Ironically it's in Las Vegas this year, so we won't have to go too far.

Nice, almost like going on a road trip.