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Texans’ third-round pick, wide receiver Tank Dell, revealed that he meticulously wrote and memorized the names of every wide receiver drafted ahead of him in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The 23-year-old rookie, who was selected as the ninth receiver in the draft, shared his decision to use that fact as fuel with KPRC2.
Dell, displaying a clear commitment to his craft, expressed his dedication to being the hardest worker in the room, stating, “I still remember those names; I’ve got them written down. Nothing personal. I feel like the hardest worker is going to go the farthest. I’m always going to be the hardest worker in the room.”
Dell indicated that he intends to use this information as motivation to drive his success in the NFL.
The wide receivers chosen before Tank Dell in the draft included:
- Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba – 1st round
- Chargers’ Quentin Johnston – 1st round
- Ravens’ Zay Flowers – 1st round
- Vikings’ Jordan Addison – 1st round
- Panthers’ Jonathan Mingo – 2nd round
- Packers’ Jayden Reed – 2nd round
- Chiefs’ Rashee Rice – 2nd round
- Broncos’ Marvin Mims – 2nd round
Interestingly, this practice of memorizing the names of drafted players ahead of them is not unique to Dell.
Detroit Lions’ standout wide receiver Amon-Ra St.Brown, who was drafted in the 4th round of the 2021 NFL Draft, also famously adopted this strategy. Brown, now a Pro Bowler, had 16 wide receivers selected ahead of him.
Brown has revealed that he reads the names of those drafted ahead of him three times a day.
Once again #Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown names all 16 WRs drafted ahead of him, this time on @PardonMyTake
Says he reads the names every day 3 different times.pic.twitter.com/3qa0daJp3Ghttps://t.co/nramxjsuLd
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 11, 2023