(Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
The NFL Draft is always a great time for teams to not only bring in new foundational pieces for their futures but also a time to pay homage to legends of the present and past.
With so many picks, it’s always great to see special guest pick announcers or commemorative picks, and the Arizona Cardinals are using one of their picks this year to pay homage to one particularly special past legend.
The Cardinals posted on Twitter about how 26 years ago to the day, the team drafted Pat Tillman with the 226th overall pick in the draft, and they have announced that the 226th pick this year will be announced by a Pat Tillman Scholar in his honor.
The Arizona Cardinals will honor Pat Tillman with the 226th pick at this year’s #NFLDraft. pic.twitter.com/Fg0EEvbTRw
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) April 21, 2024
Tillman played four years for the Cardinals from 1998 through 2001 and famously turned down a deal from the team to in order to enlist in the United States Army after the September 11th attacks.
His best year was in 2000 when he posted 155 tackles, nine pass deflections, two forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, and an interception.
The Pat Tillman scholarship welcomes 60 new scholars each year and is available to active duty service members, veterans, and military spouses.
Tillman’s story is one of a kind, and fans may never see anything like it ever again.
An active starter in the NFL in the prime of his career turning down a lucrative contract to go serve his country is unheard of, and it’s great to see the Cardinals and the NFL honoring him all these years later.
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