Indy takes Green in 6th Round
Patrick Ervin
With the 199th pick of the sixth round in the 2019 NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts select Gerri Green, defensive end from Mississippi State University. With family and friends gathered in his apartment on Saturday at 3:20 p.m. Green got the call and his mom’s Facebook live account allowed us to take in the emotion of the moment. Green attentively listened to the Colts representative on the phone, choked back tears and held his daughter as his family cheered in the background. All of the congratulatory messages and well-wishes added to the magnitude of the moment that kids dream of from the first day, they don a helmet. “I’m so thankful to hear my name called today and a couple of my teammates names called before mine in the past couple of days,” Green said. “It’s been a long process and I’ve enjoyed every part of it.”
Green’s rush of emotion with the culmination of a dream was tempered with some official business. Amid the celebration, he fielded calls from the Colts coaching staff with instructions and next steps. “Next week, I’ll be going to Indianapolis for mini-camp,” he said. “I can’t wait to get inside the facility and get to work.”
Draft boards and NFL prognosticators all over the land projected Green to go a little later in the draft in the same round. Green battled injuries during his MSU career and his ascension in the draft may have been due to Colts scouts going back looking at film of his freshman and junior years-his most productive and injury-free of his Bulldogs career. To him, just having his name called is enough and he knowns that he has landed with a franchise that will give him the opportunity to succeed. “I grew up watching the Colts,” Green said. “They’ve had some excellent players and excellent coaches. They’ve always been a great organization and I’m glad that they have decided to make me a part of it.”
