SMITHFIELD, Va. — Who would think that a small typo might be the difference between getting the opportunity of a lifetime? Willie Drew knows all to well.
“Unfortunately, they sent it to the wrong email, so I didn’t really get my invite, so I had to call my agent.”
Turns out the NFL Combine is guilty as charged.
“My agent was like, ‘you have the invite dude,’ so we didn’t really know what the miscommunication was. They had the wrong email, but we all worked it out and I ended up getting a late invite around January or something like that.”
When the invitation landed in the correct inbox, Drew wasn't going to let the opportunity pass him nearly a second time. He earned the likes of plenty of NFL scouts when he got there running a 4.46 40-yard dash.
“I was overjoyed but I knew there was still work to be done," he said regarding his performance. "I was happy with it because when I got there, we were working on chopping the time down each week, so it felt good to see all the hard work pay off.”
Drew was a standout cornerback at Virginia State but before he was intercepting passes in the secondary Drew was the starting signal caller for the Smithfield Packers.
"The first time I knew he was going to be special he ran the ball in from 50 yards for a touchdown then they called another holding penalty and he said 'coach run it again,'" said Reginald Chavis who coached Drew at Smithfield his sophomore- senior seasons. "We didn't let him come off the field."
But instead of taking tackles, Drew preferred making them.
“I love defense because you can hit people so that’s just what I fell in love with. Making tackles, catching interceptions so I just fell in love with defense more. Being a defensive back you’re a game changer and I love the feeling of being a game changer and making a difference in the game.”
From Smithfield, Drew committed to play for JMU, before getting injured seven games into his sophomore year. Then a tumultuous COVID year hit and Drew hit the portal.
"Virginia State was the first opportunity that reached out to me and I just needed a second chance to play football. Them giving me that second chance it just fueled me up. It put fuel to the fire and I knew I had a main goal and that was to reach the NFL. Since pop warner my dream has been to go to the NFL.”
In three seasons, the Trojans cornerback made 27 game appearances, registering 37 passes defended, 26 pass breakups, 11 interceptions, one pick-six, and a fumble recovery.
In 2023, his third and final season with the Trojans, Drew was named CIAA defensive player of the year. Now as just one of two HCBU players invited to the combine and the only one from a Division II school, Drew says, if you do your job, they’ll notice.
“It doesn’t matter which school you’re at. You can be a D1, D2, or D3 guy as long as you can show that you’re a baller the NFL will find out. If you continue to work hard, it’s possible.”
Even if it takes a couple extra emails.
“The 757 produces great NFL talent and hopefully I’ll be the next one.”