MIDLAND, Texas — With the draft beginning today, former Bulldog McLane Mannix is hoping to hear his name called. If not, he just wants a shot to make an NFL roster.
"Ever since I stepped on the field playing flag football I knew that I wanted to go play in the NFL, and it's here and it's exciting, and I hope I can make this area proud," said Mannix, a Texas Tech alum.
So to help accomplish his childhood dream, Mannix knew exactly who to call, his high school performance coach and friend David Hernandez.
"I've known David since my sophomore year of high school," said Mannix. "That's when we started working out together and, I mean ever since the first workout, I knew he was the real deal."
"For him to come back home and holla at me whenever he touches down, it makes me trust my product and it gives me reassurance," said Hernandez.
With Mannix reuniting with a foundational piece from his past, he hopes to add his name to a prestigious list of west Texas athletes that have made the NFL.
"Man it'll be huge just to show these kids you can make it out of this area," said Mannix. "You just gotta put in the work man, trust yourself, and put it all in God's hands and it's going to be worth it in the end."