2017 NFL Draft: The Career of Tarean Folston Doesn’t End When He Isn’t Drafted
For four years, Tarean Folston made his contribution known to Notre Dame. Now, he heads to the 2017 NFL Draft with little chance to hear his name called.
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Tarean Folston’s Notre Dame career never went the way he wanted it to. Dealing with as many injuries as playing time, the hard-nosed running back won the hearts of Fighting Irish fans during his freshman season and never looked back.
Without an ACL injury in 2015, Folston probably would have led Notre Dame in rushing his junior year. From there, you never know what would have happened, but chances are his career is a little different than 77 carries for 334 yards and two touchdowns in 2016.
It’s behind him, though, and despite having the option to return for a fifth year at Notre Dame, Folston is taking his chances with the NFL Draft. It’s a long shot for him to get drafted, something he probably knows, but Folston’s football career won’t end when the final pick is announced on April 29.
Like NFL greats, Priest Holmes, Joe Perry, and many others, Folston’s career is whatever he makes it. Some team is going to give him a chance. When they do, it’ll be up to him to make the most of it. Whether it’s a special teams guy, practice squad player, or reserve power back, an NFL team will look at Folston and see enough potential to give him a shot.
Yes, Folston is going to have to work harder than players who get drafted. He needs to show whatever team signs him or gives him a minicamp tryout, or whatever opportunity he gets, that he deserves to be in the league.
It won’t be easy. While DeShone Kizer is competing for a starting job, Folston will be fighting for a roster spot. Not your typical success story, but if you think about – plenty of all-time greats have come from the same situation Folston will be in.
He does need more to happen than your average NFL player but has every chance to make his career special. Once, he steps on the field of an NFL team, the story of his career is placed in his hands. How he writes it will be determined by no one else but he.
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Don’t write off Folston just because he’s not going to get drafted. If we eliminated every undrafted free agent from NFL history, the story of the league would be much different.
We end his career when he says he’s done. Until then, Folston has just as much of a chance to be great as any other player in the draft.