As he pursues his dream of playing in the NFL, Eleven Warriors is following along with former Ohio State defensive back Shaun Wade to document his journey through the draft process.
He had to wait two weeks longer than the rest of Ohio State’s draft prospects, but Shaun Wade finally went through his pro day last week.
After 15 more days to get healthy and train, Wade worked out for 30 representatives from 17 NFL teams at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Wednesday. Even though he was still only “90%” healthy in his estimation due to the turf toe injury he’s been recovering from since playing for the Buckeyes this past fall, Wade ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash and had a 10-foot-3 broad jump and 37.5-inch vertical jump.
All things considered, Wade is pleased with how he performed.
“Always want to do better, but it was definitely good. Had fun with it, enjoyed it,” Wade told Eleven Warriors. “(The turf toe) held me back a little bit, but I did what I did. I still performed very, very well.
Wade, who measured in at just under 6-foot-1 and 196 pounds, had wanted to showcase his speed, athleticism and ability to play every defensive back position at his pro day – he also went through position drills on Wednesday with the tutelage of his former Ohio State position coach Kerry Coombs – and he believes he accomplished that.
“I can move. I can do everything. Still fast, even with the little injury,” Wade said of what he was able to prove at his pro day.
Had Wade been healthy, he would have preferred to have worked out alongside the rest of Ohio State’s draft prospects on March 30. But he said many of them were back at Ohio State last week to support him and Justin Fields, who held a second throwing workout for NFL scouts at last week’s pro day.
Wade was at the first pro day to support his former Buckeye teammates, and he was glad to be there again to support Fields, who he considers a friend and whose work ethic and leadership he is happy to vouch for, just as former Ohio State guard Wyatt Davis also did Monday on NFL Network.
“Best quarterback in the nation, to me,” Wade said of Fields. “He’s a hard worker and he does everything the right way. You just see it on the field as you watch his film, and I feel like he’s gonna be very, very successful. So whatever team picks him is gonna get a blessing.”
Wade also got to spend time with Fields and many of his former teammates at Saturday’s Ohio State spring game, where he received his fourth Big Ten championship ring. And he enjoyed being back in Ohio Stadium and watching the Buckeyes from a fan’s perspective, especially since he didn’t get to play home games in front of fans during his final season at OSU.
“I definitely, definitely missed it,” Wade said. “I missed the fans. That was probably the No. 1 thing. Hearing the O-H-I-O around the stadium, I just enjoyed that.”
Justin Fields and Shaun Wade were both back at Ohio Stadium on Saturday along with several of Ohio State's other NFL draft prospects to watch the spring game.
Wade – whose hair is now the shortest it’s been since he was in elementary school, as he recently cut the dreadlocks he grew out during his Ohio State career – is now less than two weeks away from officially becoming an NFL player. While projections of where he will get drafted continue to vary widely, he’ll likely be selected on either the second or third day of the draft, which begins on April 29 and concludes May 1.
Now that the pro day is finally behind him, Wade has shifted his focus toward preparing for his rookie season with whichever team drafts him. He’s still continuing to train as hard as ever, though, so he’s ready for his first year in the NFL, which will begin with a rookie minicamp in May.
“Just continue getting better, continue working out, staying in shape,” Wade said of his current goals. “That’s the main thing. Keep on educating your mind, educating your soul, doing different things outside of football, not just all football things. But also getting your film work in, studying yourself, studying opponents. That’s what you gotta do, and that’s what I’m going to be doing.”
In the months leading up to the draft, Wade has drawn interest from nearly every NFL team. While he says he hasn’t personally kept count of how many interviews he’s had, his father Randy recently tweeted said his son had spoken with every NFL team but three – the Kansas City Chiefs, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks – and Shaun said it has been exciting to hear from so many scouts and coaches.
“It’s definitely exciting,” Wade said. “The fun thing about it is to show everybody your face, your character, see their character from that team because their character reflects how the team is.”
The pre-draft process is almost over now, though, and by the end of next week, Wade will know where he will begin his professional football career. He’ll be back in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, to watch the draft with his family, and he’s looking forward to sharing the moment with them.
“Just all the sacrifices they have done for me, the people that have been around me, I’m definitely thankful for them,” Wade said. “I’m just thankful for being around everybody and very, very excited.”
As the draft approaches ever closer, his excitement to start his NFL career continues to grow. But he knows that excitement will rise to a whole new level when he gets the call next week from the team that is drafting him.
“I know that phone call is gonna hit different,” Wade said.
