‘I Was in Full-Blown Panic Mode’

Packers rookie tight end Josiah Deguara scored seven touchdowns last season, including one vs. UCLA. It was his tackle in that game, however, that caught Matt LaFleur's eye.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Tight end Josiah Deguara was on Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur’s radar long before the start of this year’s draft cycle.

In Cincinnati’s season-opening game against UCLA on Aug. 29, the Bearcats had a first-and-goal at the 2-yard line in the final seconds of the first half. The Bearcats lined up with four tight ends, with Deguara on the right side of the formation. The play was a sprintout to the left, with Deguara in protection.

“We probably got a little too cute and tried to shift the formation around,” offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Mike Denbrock said last week. “Josiah ended up on the back side of the formation and was part of the protection scheme instead of involved in the route which, No. 1, tells you it probably wasn’t the smartest thing I ever did.”

Quarterback Desmond Ridder’s pass was intercepted at the goal line by Jay Shaw, who had nothing but artificial grass standing between him and a game-changing, 14-point swing.

“I was in full panic mode on the sideline,” Denbrock said.

Instead, it was Deguara to the rescue. As shown in the video associated with this story, he ran 80 or 90 yards to make the tackle at the 34. Without his hustle, the Bruins would have taken a 14-10 lead into halftime. Instead, the Bearcats led 10-7 and won 24-14.

LaFleur might not have considered it at the time but, almost exactly eight months later, the Packers selected Deguara in the third round of the draft.

“We actually showed this to our team ironically enough last season in a team meeting when we were talking about effort and grit,” LaFleur said at the draft’s conclusion on April 25. “Just the effort he displayed to run down the defender and make an unbelievable play on the ball, I think it really epitomizes who he is as a football player.”

In the grand scheme of things, the play was a mere footnote on Deguara’s senior season. Kick-started by that opening game, when Deguara caught four passes for 53 yards and one touchdown, he recorded team highs of 39 receptions (for 504 yards) and seven touchdowns. The season-long performance, and that one play in particular, hint of the skill and passion in the native of Folsom, Calif.

“It was definitely a big moment for our team,” Deguara said after being drafted. “During that game, it could’ve been a big shift in momentum, so it wasn’t just for me but for the team as well. Kind of our culture at Cincinnati, me as the player, I pride myself on outworking the guy in front of me, pride myself on being the hardest worker not only on the team, but on the field at that time. I think it just shows my relentless effort on the field and I think that’s the best way that resembles how I am as a player.”