Montrell Washington “wanted to cry” when he got the call from Denver

The wide receiver from Samford wasn’t expecting to get drafted, so he was beyond overjoyed when the call came from the Denver Broncos.

Montrell Washington, taken at pick 162 (round 5), admitted that he “wanted to cry” when he got the call from the Denver Broncos.

The wide receiver displayed a very respectful and down-to-earth approach for the game and the people around him — a lot of “Yes, sir,” “No, sir” weaved into answers that expressed gratitude, humility, and shock.

He is the eighth Samford Bulldog in the school’s history to be drafted by the NFL.

Despite knowing this, Washington’s decision to play for Samford didn’t affect his vision of his future. In a humble statement to the press on Saturday evening, he shared, “To be honest with you, I just worked and if it happened, it happened. If it didn’t.”

“I knew I worked hard at what I did and if it didn’t happen, I would have been pleased with the outcome,” he finished.

Montrell, who ran track growing up and has clocked a 4.48 40, believes he will be an asset in punt returning. “I’m very versatile, I have to say, and my return skills, I think, are pretty good,” he shared, “I’m just trying to come in and do my job as a return man and flip the field to be honest with you.”

Washington stated that nothing compares to the feeling of a punt or kick return resulting in a touchdown, noting all the effort that comes from the guys who block for him, and how much of a team win it really is. “There’s nothing like that feeling because—yeah, I scored—but in my opinion, I don’t score, my team scores.”

Asked who he models his returning game after, Washington named former WR Devin Hester and Miami WR Tyreek Hill. “I watch all of the old Devin Hester returns. Punt returns, kick returns—everything Devin Hester I watch for sure,” he said, “Of course, Tyreek, guys like that.”

Getting drafted by the Broncos was an incredibly emotional moment for Montrell. “To be honest, I wanted to cry but I couldn’t,” he shared, “I was shocked to be honest with you, because coming from Samford—FCS. Guys sleep on the conference. But we ball just like everybody else.”

“I’m excited,” he continued, “I’m lost for words. I’m shaking kind of still. I’m just glad to have this opportunity. I’m going to make the most of it for sure.”

On how much contact he’d had with the team prior to the draft, Washington mentioned a conversation and workout with one of the coaches on one of his pro days. His knowledge of Denver going into the draft included some key players, such as Russell Wilson, WR Jerry Jeudy, and WR Courtland Sutton.

“I didn’t do that much homework to be honest,” he confessed, “I was just ready to get to play football.”

Washington was not expecting to be drafted as high as he was, or at all for that matter. “I wasn’t even worried about the draft to be honest with you,” he admitted, “Yeah I was watching it, but I’m just ready to get out there and get my one shot and do what I do with that one shot, however it works out. It’s crazy.”