PULLMAN, Wash. — The 2019 NFL Draft was very exciting for former Washington State football offensive lineman Andre Dillard.
He was a first-round pick, taken 22nd overall by the Philadelphia Eagles. That made him the first WSU first-round pick since 2016 and the first WSU offensive lineman ever to be taken in the first round. It must've been exciting.
However, the moments prior to that were tense as he anxiously waited to be drafted. His former teammates only made it more tense as they were bombarding a text conversation with all the linemen in it.
The thing is, Dillard's former teammates didn't know Dillard was in the chat.
"We're blowing it up and we totally forgot he was in there," Washington State offensive lineman Liam Ryan said."He's freaking out inside the waiting room waiting to be drafted."
Ryan said teammates were texting if he'd been drafted yet since they weren't watching, others were saying other things about the draft. There was a lot going on.
"I remember our O-line coach was with him and he texts us like,'You all need to stop blowing up this group chat. Andre is freaking out over here,'" Ryan said.
Dillard finally got back to the guys after he was selected.
"He said,'You guys were freaking me out in there. I was just waiting for my name to be called and I was just getting a bunch of texts from you guys,'" Ryan said.
They all had a good laugh over it as the Dillard's former teammates congratulated him.
Dillard started three games for the Eagles last season. He's expected to start far more this year, as he's currently projected to start at left tackle for the team.