By Ross Jackson
The NFL Draft is a dream come true for the 250-plus players drafted in the annual selection process. But sometimes those dreams don’t come along the way they are expected. That was certainly the case in 2006, when the New Orleans Saints landed the consensus No. 1 draft selection, running back Reggie Bush, with the No. 2 overall selection.
The USC product was widely expected to be the first player off the board as Day One of the draft kicked off. But seemingly out of nowhere, everything changed when the Houston Texans shocked the football world.
Instead of selecting Bush No. 1 overall, the Texans decided to take NC State defensive end Mario Williams. The big edge defender went on to have a successful career, but the choice was the draft’s biggest surprise. It was even a surprise for Bush himself, who recounted the draft day experience in a recent conversation with former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III.
“I was the shoo-in No. 1 pick,” Bush said. “When I went to the combine, you interview with all the other teams, right? Thirty-one teams didn’t interview me because it was like, ‘He’s not even going to be available.’ And we found out the night of the draft on ESPN, that’s how I found out I wasn’t going to be the No. 1 draft pick.”
The shock didn’t last long for Bush, however. While the impact of the moment was felt, it was a phone call from then-quarterback Drew Brees that reignited the excitement of the day.
“After that was announced, Drew called me.” Bush reminisced. “And he’s like, ‘Man, great to meet you. Great to talk to you. But I want to let you know, I played with who I think was one of the greatest running backs ever, LaDanian Tomlinson. I think you have an opportunity to be just as good or better than him. And I cannot wait to play with you.’ And that gave me all the confidence in the world.”
A heart-warming story for the two that would go on to win a Super Bowl together just three years later. A great illustration as well of the ups and downs and quickly changing landscape of the draft and the human element attached. It didn’t go as planned for Bush, but it definitely panned out.
“To not get drafted by Houston in that moment, it hurt,” he said. “But then Drew and the Saints, right away, picked me up and was like ‘Nah, let’s go do this.'”
