Throughout this draft season, OptimumScouting.com will host multiple “Draft Journals” that hopefully will give insight into the draft process and into each individual prospects background, lifestyles and ups-and-downs of their respective draft processes.
This is receiver Jay Lee, who hails from a Baylor program known for producing NFL receivers and is coming off of a fantastic Senior Bowl showing. He was shockingly not, however, invited to the NFL Scouting Combine.
Playing in the Baylor program with NFL receivers like Terrance (Williams), Kendall (Wright), and Josh (Gordon) opened up lots of opportunities for me as a player and gave me hope for reaching the next level as a wide receiver. They set the foundation for receivers coming into the Baylor program like myself, and started a continued tradition.
I can remember the first time I caught a football at full velocity from Robert Griffin in 2011 against Oklahoma State in pre-game warm-ups and I thought “man, this guy is the real deal”. He’s been a guy that continuously keeps in touch with me and we talk about his projects that are in the works. He actually just invited me to his fitness workout for the city of Waco that starts in two weeks.
Another player I’ve had the pleasure of playing beside is the 2015 Biletnikoff winner, Corey Coleman. We were roommates for three seasons the night before games and we always talked about how we wanted to make an impact on the Baylor football program, the goals we wanted to reach, and the opportunities of playing in the NFL. One thing I’ve learned from Corey throughout the years is how to be more elusive with the ball in my hands.
My senior bowl experience was unbelievable. The amount of phone calls and interviews with NFL teams that took place during my weeklong stay in Mobile was overwhelming. I had the time of my life because I got to showcase my route running abilities and my abilities coming off the ball. I had a great time getting to know other players from around the country and I picked up different advice and techniques from the Jaguars coaching staff.
For example, Coach Jerry Sullivan taught us guys how to convert a route in cover 2, and how to sell the route. The best corner I faced during the senior bowl probably had to be Jalen Mills from LSU because of his long arm range and ball skills. During my time at the senior bowl, I also had the privilege of visiting students at Bayside Academy in Mobile, and made a new friend in a kid named Nathan Sadlock. Nathan is a huge Georgia football fan and I introduced him to one of his favorite collegiate players, Malcolm Mitchell, who was my roommate during the senior bowl.
Not getting a combine invite sparked a great week of practice at the senior bowl. I don’t feel bad about not getting a combine invite; I think it just serves as my greatest motivator at this point. This just set the bar a little higher for me to go out and show once again why I’m a guy that shouldn’t be overlooked at my pro day on March 16th when I have another opportunity to perform in front of all 32 NFL teams. My work ethic has never wavered, I’m still going to be the hardest working guy and I’m still going to be a leader in any setting- it’s just who I am.
There are a lot of things to be great in the NFL. I’m a perfectionist and I’m always working towards being the best player I can be at all times. To know that at the end of my career, I could potentially be among the greats in the Hall of Fame, a Pro-bowler, or a Superbowl winner motivates me. I’m always striving for something greater. I want to fulfill a dream my dad once had, and I want to make my family proud. They’ve been my biggest supporters since I first started playing flag football, and throughout their continuous support, they never missed a game. I really want to give back to them.
I have a lot of interests outside of football. I like to think I’m the greatest bowler of all time. I like to caddy for my best friends when they play golf, my golf swing isn’t too great. I like to play shoot hoops and I love to attend different sporting events. I just went to Monster Energy Supercross event in Dallas.
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