'Don't Sell Yourself Short': Seattle Seahawks Draftee Michael Jerrell Relishing NFL Opportunity

Only the fourth player from Findlay and second player from his high school to make it to the NFL, Michael Jerrell believes his journey is only beginning as a surprise draft choice for the Seattle Seahawks.

Courtesy of Findlay Athletics

RENTON, Wash. - The textbook definition of a late bloomer, Michael Jerrell didn't look to be heading on a path to the NFL entering his senior season at Pike High School in Indianapolis.

Prior to that point, though he had been playing football throughout high school along with being a basketball player, Jerrell had yet to be a full-time starter for the Red Devils. But despite weighing under 250 pounds, everything started to change when he transitioned from tight end to tackle as a senior, coming out of nowhere to earn himself All-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference recognition and All-Indiana distinction.

Given his late rise and lean frame, Jerrell remained very much off the radar as a college recruit despite his breakout season. Without any Division I offers, he enrolled at Findlay University, a Division II program in Ohio, starting his career as a reserve and only playing in eight games in his first three years on campus, including a lost season in 2020 due to COVID.

Fast forwarding three years and more than 60 pounds of muscle later, however, after earning multiple All-American selections for the Oilers, Jerrell completed his unlikely ascent to the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks selecting him with the 207th pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Considering his humble football beginnings, though he claimed he expected to be drafted, it's no wonder Jerrell responded with an "oh s***" after general manager John Schneider called to inform him Seattle was turning in his name as the team's final pick of the draft.

“It means everything, coming from my high
school," Jerrell told reporters moments after being selected by the Seahawks. "We’ve only had one NFL player get drafted and make it into the league. I’m excited to be the next one and show guys that you can make it from a small school. You don’t have to transfer and chase NIL or chase Power 5s to make it to the NFL. You can go from wherever. I can show the kids in the community that they can do it, too. Don’t sell yourself short.”

Growing into a 309-pound wrecking ball, Michael Jerrell dominated Division II competition at Findlay and now will face his next challenge proving he belongs in the NFL with the Seahawks. / Courtesy of Findlay Athletics

With the gap between Division I and lower levels seeming to tighten up over the past 10 years and scouts having more accessibility to prospects from smaller schools, it has become a bit more common for players such as Jerrell to receive the call on draft weekend. Just two years ago, the Seahawks selected Lenoir Rhyne receiver Dareke Young, who made the roster as a rookie and remains on the team heading into the 2024 season.

Still, out of 257 players drafted from Thursday through Saturday, Jerrell was one of only four players selected who played at a lower level than Division I FCS competition. Even if teams have become more open to the idea of taking a chance on small school talent to develop, it remains a remarkable accomplishment to get drafted from Division II, Division III, or NAIA programs.

In the case of Jerrell, he did have a route presented to him to dramatically improve his chances of earning a shot to play at the next level with several bigger programs, including a few Power 5 schools, trying to persuade him to transfer. In today's college sports climate where some players change schools near as often as they change clothes due to the transfer portal and the allure of NIL money, many prospects would have sprinted at the opportunity to jump to Division I if they were in his shoes.

But Jerrell had never veered towards the easy way out and while he appreciated the offers, he wasn't about to try and take a shortcut nearing the finish line. Remembering Findlay gave him the chance to play college football in the first place, he maintained his loyalty to the program, his coaches, and his teammates, which made Saturday's call from Schneider and the Seahawks even sweeter.

“Those are the guys in my family. They believed in me, and they believed in me from the start, and I couldn’t see myself leaving to go to another team, " Jerrell explained. "They get the credit for what the University of Findlay helped build. I wanted to stay there and give them the credit. That means everything to me to see ‘Mike Jerrell, University of Findlay’ on the screen, rather than another school.”

Leading up to the draft, Jerrell had put himself on the NFL radar with two dominant final seasons for the Oilers and performing well at the 2024 Hula Bowl all-star showcase. Coming from a school that only had three players drafted before him, however, he needed a final push to truly solidify his odds of being selected.

That push came in the form of Ohio State's pro day, where Jerrell put on a show competing against prospects from one of the nation's top blue blood programs on March 20. Weighing in at 309 pounds, he ran a blazing 4.96 40-yard dash and posted a 32-inch vertical jump along with 26 bench press reps of 225 pounds, though the player himself will dispute that last number.

"They marked me down one, and I was kind of mad," Jerrell said.

Any incoming rookie stepping up to NFL competition faces a steep learning curve going against established veterans and the leap for Division II prospects such as Jerrell is far trickier. After holding his own against inferior opponents in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, trying to block Uchenna Nwosu or Boye Mafe at practice everyday will be an immediate reminder he isn't in Findlay anymore.

But Jerrell will also have great resources at his disposal as he begins the next step in his football journey, including veteran George Fant, who re-signed with the team in March and started his career as an undrafted rookie out of Western Kentucky with minimal football experience. Now in his ninth NFL season, the seasoned swing tackle should be able to show his new pupil the ropes as he acclimates to playing against the best of the best.

A proclaimed student of the game, Jerrell will be able to learn through observation watching starting tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, who carry high expectations coming into their third seasons respectively. He also will have the tutelage of line coach Scott Huff, who built a strong connection with him when he visited Seattle for an official top-30 visit this spring.

Most importantly, in contrast to Fant, Jerrell will be coming into the league with a polished game from experience, even if he will have to further refine his technique and get stronger to hold up in the trenches against NFL defenders. Brimming with confidence and ready to compete, light years ahead of where he was when he was catching touchdowns as a junior varsity tight end at Pike, he's eager to showcase his talent on the biggest stage with the Seahawks and inspire other small school prospects to keep dreaming big.

“I can mix it up, however I have to play. I can play with power, I can play with finesse, I can play with speed. I can play however offensive line needs to be played, but at the end of the day, I play nasty, I play gritty. I’m a gritty person, hard worker, so I’m ready to get after guys.”