FONTANA, Calif. (ABC4 Sports) – It was a phone call that changed Chris Wilcox’s life.
The former BYU star defensive back had to wait until the seventh round of the NFL Draft, but he finally got the call from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his family went crazy.
The video was posted on the Buccaneers Instagram page and went viral.
Wilcox’s dad was happier than anybody because he’s from Florida.
“He was really happy because he’s from West Palm Beach, Florida,” Wilcox said. “That’s why he was so excited. I don’t know if you can hear him in the video, he was like, I’m going home, I’m going home.”
Having to wait until the last few picks of the draft, though, was a little stressful.
“Especially it was towards the end, I was starting to get a little nervous, like was it even going to happen? I look at my phone, and I think it said Tampa, and I was like, oh my, is it really them? Then when I saw it on TV, I knew it was real. It was crazy.”
Now Wilcox gets to begin his career with the defending Super Bowl champs, and yes, he’s thought about the first time he’ll meet his new teammate, Tom Brady.
“I’ve just got to act cool, just introduce myself,” said Wilcox, who will leave for the Buccaneers headquarters next week for rookie mini-camp. “I don’t want to go up there being all star struck. We’re going to be teammates, so I’m just going to introduce myself and we’re going to be cool.”
Wilcox is fully recovered from a leg injury that force him to miss all but one game in the 2019 season. The Bucs love Wilcox’s size and tackling ability. He had 87 tackles in his four years at BYU.
They also love his speed. Wilcox ran a 4.31 40-yard dash at BYU’s Pro Day, one of the fastest times by any player in the draft. Even if it means playing special teams, Wilcox will do whatever it takes to get on the field with the Buccaneers.
“Oh yes, definitely,” Wilcox said. “I already told them that whatever they need me to do as far as special teams to play right away, whatever it is. Just as long as I get on the field and help contribute to the team in some way, I’m happy with that.”
To be a part of an historic draft class at BYU where five Cougars got drafted, the most since 2002, is truly special.
“We’re just all happy for each other,” Wilcox said. “It was great to see me, Khyiris [Tonga] and Dax [Milne] go in that last little stretch, that was really cool to see. Of course we all knew Zach [Wilson] and Brady [Christensen] were going to do their thing. I’m really happy for all the guys. They put in a lot of work, and I’m just glad it paid off.”
Wilcox is the first BYU defensive back to get drafted since Derwin Gray in 1993.
