{"id":914,"date":"2024-04-30T17:46:23","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T21:46:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/?p=914"},"modified":"2024-04-30T17:46:23","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T21:46:23","slug":"2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2024 NFL Draft Players Who Pick Up Their Cross Before a Football"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_917\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-917\" style=\"width: 724px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-917\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/452\/2024\/04\/faith-football-unsplash-scaled-e1714446138500-550x367.jpg\" alt=\"Young man in a football uniform praying at the bleachers\" width=\"724\" height=\"483\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-917\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Praying to get to the NFL Draft (Image credit: Ben White via Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When an event like the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, it&#8217;s customary for someone to say &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/search\/site.aspx?q=%22thank%20god%22#gsc.tab=0&amp;gsc.q=%22thank%20god%22&amp;gsc.page=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thank God<\/a>.&#8221; but how many of those people walk with Jesus?<\/p>\n<p>Considering collegiate stars who became professional football players that maintain their relationship with God may not be as easy to recall. For every player whose testimony is tangible in front of the TV cameras, there are a hundred others who aren&#8217;t on the screen.<\/p>\n<p>Ask any church-going football fan: &#8220;Who are some well-known Christians in the sport in the past and today?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Usually, the names that come up in conversation include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Current Rookie of the Year, CJ Stroud<\/li>\n<li>Kurt Warner<\/li>\n<li>Drew Brees<\/li>\n<li>Russell Wilson<\/li>\n<li>Reggie White<\/li>\n<li>Brock Purdy<\/li>\n<li>Tim Tebow<\/li>\n<li>DK Metcalf<\/li>\n<li>Coach Tony Dungy<\/li>\n<li>Coach Joe Gibbs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The blessing for the faith is that with every NFL Draft, several more believers wear their Godly relationship on their sleeves, along with the new uniform numbers they earn.<\/p>\n<p>Among the 259 college players whose dreams came true, a few from the 2024 NFL Draft have a solid walk with Christ and have shared their faith many times. From Pop Warner to college ball, these future NFL players forged a firm commitment with the Lord.<\/p>\n<h2>Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU<\/h2>\n<p>The Washington Commanders drafted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heisman.com\/heisman-winners\/jayden-daniels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a Heisman Trophy winner<\/a> as the quarterback of their future with the <strong>No. 2 overall pick<\/strong> at the 2024 NFL Draft. One of the first phrases out of his mouth when he took the trophy at the Lincoln Center&#8217;s Appel Room in New York City last December was, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianpost.com\/news\/lsu-qb-jayden-daniels-credits-god-after-winning-heisman-trophy.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">He&#8217;s my rock, my Savior<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_944\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-944\" style=\"width: 255px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-944 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/452\/2024\/04\/Jayden_Daniels_LSU_Tigers_vs_Florida_State_Gators_111123-297x350.jpg\" alt=\"LSU player Jayden Daniels\" width=\"255\" height=\"300\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-944\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jayden Daniels #5, LSU Tigers Football vs Florida State Gators, Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, NCAA College Team, Photographer, Tammy Anthony Baker, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\">CC BY 2.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Yet, following the draft, Daniels&#8217; witness stood out more than his words. In an interview with Movieguide, the Bayou product praised the servant&#8217;s heart of Sherman Wilson, LSU&#8217;s director of player retention.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He\u2019s behind the scenes, but he\u2019s like my right-hand man,\u201d Daniels <a href=\"https:\/\/lsusports.net\/news\/2023\/11\/25\/in-focus-jayden-daniels-has-the-heart-of-a-champion\/\">said<\/a> about Wilson. \u201cBeing around him, I got back into my faith more, always giving glory to God. Coming back out here, trying to figure out my life, I wanted to stop trying to put so much pressure on me and give everything to God, letting Him take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once he got to Washington, D.C., for his press conference, Jayden Daniels quoted scripture: &#8220;With everything that\u2019s going on right now, God has prepared me for this. He doesn\u2019t give anything to anybody that He knows they can\u2019t handle. To whom much is given, much is required.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>Michael Penix, Jr., QB, Washington<\/h2>\n<p>The Atlanta Falcons shocked the football world when they selected the illustrious standout Michael Penix, Jr., as their quarterback with the <strong>No. 8 pick<\/strong>. Sports outlets nationwide were floored when the pick came in because the Falcons paid Kirk Cousins (another upfront believer in Christ) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/kirk-cousins-agrees-to-four-year-contract-with-atlanta-falcons\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$180 million over four years<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_950\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-950\" style=\"width: 150px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-950 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/452\/2024\/04\/2024-0106-Michael_Penix_Jr-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Michael_Penix_Jr\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-950\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Michael Penix Jr., quarterback of the Washington Huskies, at the media day press conference in the George R. Brown Convention Center ahead of the 2024 College Football Playoff National Championship versus the Michigan Wolverines at NRG Stadium in Houston. Image courtesy of <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:2024-0106-Michael_Penix_Jr.jpg\">Bobak Ha&#8217;Eri<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\">CC BY 3.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Nonetheless, the franchise&#8217;s future will become his understudy. Penix gave God all the glory because his path to the NFL was anything but a journey paved with blessings.<\/p>\n<p>The former Tennessee commit chose Indiana for his collegiate football career in 2017. Less than a year later, he tore his ACL during the third game. The next year, he messed up his entire right shoulder, which ended another year after the sixth game. In 2020, he was 4-1 and tore his ACL again \u2014the same one.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy dad always used to tell me growing up, \u2018Never question God. He has his own plans for you.\u2019 It was very hard for me to get to that point,&#8221; the quarterback <a href=\"https:\/\/kdhnews.com\/sports\/nfl\/how-faith-shaped-michael-penix-jr-s-journey-to-atlanta\/article_f4eef95a-7ebb-5a7d-9004-5c224b4f25df.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said to the <em>Atlanta Journal-Constitution<\/em><\/a>. So I had to get to the point where I just continued to build that relationship with my faith and get to the point where I wasn\u2019t questioning [God] anymore.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Then, he transferred to Washington, and the entire country learned who Michael Penix was as he took his team to the Pac-12 championship and, eventually, the BCS championship.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I\u2019m super blessed for all I\u2019ve been through because it\u2019s allowed me to get a closer relationship with God. The way I go about my business each and every day, I always make sure that I thank God first,&#8221; Penix said.<\/p>\n<h2>Michael Hall, Jr., DT, Ohio State<\/h2>\n<p>The Cleveland Browns&#8217; 2024 NFL Draft was more of the same\u2014no first-round pick. They sacrificed that for Deshaun Watson and two others in 2022 and 2023.\u00a0 But in the second round, the AFC North team had their eye on defense and stayed in the state with the <strong>No. 54 pick<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Hall, Jr., is a decorated defensive tackle from Ohio State University. As a redshirted Sophomore, Hall got the call and heard his name. And, with one of the first interviews he gave as a Cleveland Brown, he gave God His glory.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I feel like it&#8217;s the greatest feeling ever in the world. I got to, first and foremost, give thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without him, nothing is possible. So appreciative of him, and without him even giving me life, to wake up today, it&#8217;s a real blessing,&#8221; he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news5cleveland.com\/sports\/browns\/browns-select-ohio-state-dt-michael-hall-jr-in-second-round-of-2024-nfl-draft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said to the local NBC affiliate<\/a>, WEWS-5.<\/p>\n<h2>Payton Wilson, LB, NC State<\/h2>\n<p>Payton Wilson&#8217;s journey to pro football and the 2024 NFL Draft was a tumultuous one personally. But for the Pittsburgh Steelers who snagged him in the third round at No. 86, it was a blessing. Wilson slated 40 points earlier in a mock draft and went through 10 surgeries up to that point.<\/p>\n<p>His issues spanned multiple knee and shoulder surgeries and a bad concussion. Yet, in 2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/payton-wilson-steelers-3rd-round-pick-reportedly-slid-due-to-lack-of-acl-in-knee-142227143.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">he overcame his own giant<\/a> and\u00a0won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the top defender in the country and the Butkus Award as the nation\u2019s best linebacker.<\/p>\n<p>Raised in a Christian home, Wilson is fueled by his faith in God. Despite the injuries and sliding projections in the draft, the soft-spoken linebacker never deterred from what he believed was providence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI truly believe that Jesus Christ has a plan for me and wherever I end up, whatever pick that is, I\u2019m going to be so excited for it,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbs17.com\/sports\/nfl-draft\/faith-hard-work-at-the-bedrock-of-payton-wilsons-rise-on-the-gridiron\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said Wilson<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Willie Drew, CB, Virginia State<\/h2>\n<p>Like several Bible characters, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/prospects\/willie-drew\/32004452-4555-0347-3dbb-e5ba74d6801a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Willie Drew<\/a> had to defy the odds and fight for his blessing. Before the 2024 NFL Draft, he ran a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine. For a cornerback, that&#8217;s a good score. But, for a man who tore three ligaments in his right knee during his Sophomore year, it&#8217;s a miracle.<\/p>\n<p>The touching part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pilotonline.com\/2024\/04\/24\/former-smithfield-star-willie-drew-turned-to-his-faith-survived-the-storm-and-is-poised-to-be-drafted-by-the-nfl\/?utm_source=ground.news&amp;utm_medium=referral\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the story<\/a> is Drew believes it&#8217;s only a chapter of his testimony.<\/p>\n<p>Virginia State gave me an opportunity, and I took it and ran with it,\u201d Drew said. \u201cI was shocked when I injured my knee at James Madison, but I knew God had a plan, so I decided to go through the storm by getting closer to God and with the help of a strong support system. Now I\u2019m enjoying the sunshine on the other side.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>And then he earned an undrafted free-agent contract with the Carolina Panthers. Despite being drafted or not, jobs are not guaranteed in the NFL. Yet, showing what he&#8217;s made of is nothing new for Willie Drew.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When an event like the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, it&#8217;s customary for someone to say &#8220;Thank God.&#8221; but how many of those people walk with Jesus? Considering collegiate stars who became professional football players that maintain their relationship with God may not be as easy to recall. For every player whose testimony is tangible&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":671,"featured_media":917,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[47,269,266,278,257,272,275,263,260],"class_list":["post-914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport-news","tag-evangelism","tag-jayden-daniels","tag-michael-hall","tag-michael-penix","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-draft","tag-payton-wilson","tag-willie-drew","tag-witnessing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The 2024 NFL Draft Players Who Pick Up Their Cross Before a Football<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"During the 2024 NFL Draft, America met many athletes. However, the Body of Christ were introduced to five men of faith as well.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 2024 NFL Draft Players Who Pick Up Their Cross Before a Football\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"During the 2024 NFL Draft, America met many athletes. However, the Body of Christ were introduced to five men of faith as well.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Latest News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-30T21:46:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/452\/2024\/04\/faith-football-unsplash-scaled-e1714446138500.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"801\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shawn Paul Wood\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ShawnPaulWood\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The 2024 NFL Draft Players Who Pick Up Their Cross Before a Football","description":"During the 2024 NFL Draft, America met many athletes. However, the Body of Christ were introduced to five men of faith as well.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The 2024 NFL Draft Players Who Pick Up Their Cross Before a Football","og_description":"During the 2024 NFL Draft, America met many athletes. However, the Body of Christ were introduced to five men of faith as well.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/","og_site_name":"Latest News","article_published_time":"2024-04-30T21:46:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":801,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/452\/2024\/04\/faith-football-unsplash-scaled-e1714446138500.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Shawn Paul Wood","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ShawnPaulWood","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/","name":"The 2024 NFL Draft Players Who Pick Up Their Cross Before a Football","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/452\/2024\/04\/faith-football-unsplash-scaled-e1714446138500.jpg","datePublished":"2024-04-30T21:46:23+00:00","dateModified":"2024-04-30T21:46:23+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/#\/schema\/person\/5ad826f9b1c571ca0a6b5e56c36da507"},"description":"During the 2024 NFL Draft, America met many athletes. However, the Body of Christ were introduced to five men of faith as well.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/452\/2024\/04\/faith-football-unsplash-scaled-e1714446138500.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/452\/2024\/04\/faith-football-unsplash-scaled-e1714446138500.jpg","width":1200,"height":801,"caption":"Praying to get to the NFL Draft (Image credit: Ben White via Unsplash)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/2024\/04\/30\/2024-nfl-draft-christian-athletes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The 2024 NFL Draft Players Who Pick Up Their Cross Before a Football"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/","name":"Latest News","description":"Online Christian news with the latest headlines relevant to Christians. New stories updated daily from a Christian perspective.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/#\/schema\/person\/5ad826f9b1c571ca0a6b5e56c36da507","name":"Shawn Paul Wood","description":"Shawn Paul Wood, Th.D., is an award-winning copywriter, storyteller, and best-selling ghostwriter of several faith-based articles, books, speeches, and columns for some of the most admirable brands in their respective industries for more than 20 years. As Founder of Woodworks Communications with a doctorate in Theology, he leads teams of content strategists and marketing professionals to expand the brands and audiences of corporate leaders, serial entrepreneurs, and respected ministers of the Gospel. Prior to working with global communications agencies, he was a media relations director and communications executive for noted leaders, such as Abide, D\/FW International Airport, UNCF, Mannatech, Christians United for Israel, Avocados from Mexico, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, Darden, and Bishop T.D. Jakes. His purpose is to help others develop self-discovery through stories and the written word to proclaim the Word to the world. For more information or help, visit WoodworksCommunications.com. Read his Patheos column Close To Home here.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/closetohome\/","www.linkedin.com\/in\/shawnpaulwood","https:\/\/x.com\/ShawnPaulWood"],"url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/author\/swood\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/671"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=914"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":956,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/914\/revisions\/956"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/latestnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}