‘Pretty fun to have around’: Davidson College lineman’s NFL draft tweet goes viral

DAVIDSON, N.C. — An offensive lineman from Davidson College is getting looks from NFL greats like JJ Watt and Drew Brees, but not because of his football abilities.

Barclay Briggs has been a backup offensive lineman for four years, and this week he let “Wildcat Nation” know that he’s declaring his eligibility for the National Football League Draft. But it was the way he made the announcement that made waves on social media.

Briggs starts off by using the Bible to make a drinking reference and outright admitting he only ever played “during blowouts or when starters got injured.”

He says that didn’t stop him, describing himself with classic coach-speak colloquialisms as a “scrappy, sneaky athletic, fundamental, high football-IQ lunch pail guy.”

Number 56 shared a picture of himself with a Burt Reynolds-style handlebar mustache, and a quick Google search revealed that to be his official Davidson College football portrait.

Briggs thanks his family and coaches, but also thanks a few unconventional (and undoubtedly unknowing) supporters of his career, like long-dead former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and still-alive Oprah Winfrey.

Online statistics provided by Davidson College don’t show any of Briggs’ playing highlights, but he offered up his case to be drafted by an NFL team.

“Many of you may ask yourselves, ‘If he barely saw playing time at a non-scholarship FCS program, why does this guy think he has any chance in the NFL?’ This is an entirely reasonable reaction, and I don’t blame any of you for thinking this. I will provide roughly zero on-field value for an NFL franchise, but I’d probably be pretty fun to have around,” Briggs wrote in his announcement.

Briggs’ announcement ended up getting shared by thousands of people on X, with many calling it one of the best draft announcements of all time.

Davidson College finished its season at 7-4 overall, with a 6-2 record in the Big Sky Conference.

With draft picks being a hot commodity for many NFL teams, we’ll see if anyone opts for Briggs’ fun over function.

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