What was Bobby Okereke's NFL Draft experience like, and where was he selected?
Bobby Okereke was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the 89th overall pick in the third round of the NFL Draft, on day two of the draft. He had expected to be chosen in the second round, and after two and a half hours of waiting on day two — surrounded by family — the mounting tension made the moment his phone finally rang feel genuinely ecstatic.
Going into the draft, Okereke had no family members or close friends with NFL experience who could help him calibrate expectations or navigate the process. When the call from Indianapolis came through, it arrived without the insider roadmap many prospects have. He described his early days settling into professional life in Indianapolis as a whirlwind — a sudden, total immersion into a world he was building without a playbook from anyone close to him.
That combination of unmet expectations and emotional buildup makes his draft story instructive beyond the pick number itself. The gap between anticipating round two and landing at pick 89 in round three is exactly the kind of friction Okereke would later channel into his professional approach. You can hear the full conversation — including what happened next in Indianapolis — on Listenly's episode page for Unblinded with Sean Callagy.
"Football is the engine that makes everything go. That brings me all the opportunities that I want, brings me all the leverage in negotiation. So the better I play and the better player I am, the bigger the impact I can have."— Bobby Okereke, Unblinded with Sean Callagy
About Bobby Okereke
Bobby Okereke grew up in the Tustin/Irvine area of Orange County, California, the son of Nigerian immigrant parents who placed education firmly above everything else — including sports. He came to football unusually late for a professional athlete, first picking up the game in high school after his mother stipulated he could only try out as a kicker. That late start did nothing to slow his trajectory: as a junior in high school he earned a D1 scholarship offer from the University of Washington, reportedly the first player from his school to receive one in 20 to 30 years.
He went on to attend Stanford University for five years, earning All-Pac-12 honors in his senior season and serving as team captain — credentials that placed him squarely in the NFL Draft conversation. His Stanford class of roughly 20 to 22 players produced approximately four to five NFL draftees, and Okereke was among them: the Indianapolis Colts called his name at pick 89 in the third round, setting off a new chapter he navigated largely without mentors who had walked the same path. He currently serves as a defensive captain for the New York Giants, and his story — from strict immigrant household to professional football captain — is central to why his perspective on discipline, resilience, and identity carries real weight.
See also
According to Okereke, each incoming Stanford class of roughly 20 to 22 players typically sees only one to five players get drafted into the NFL. Of every player who suits up at Stanford, only a small fraction ultimately makes it to a professional roster.
Since his freshman year of high school, Okereke has kept a whiteboard in his room where he writes his goals, daily tasks, and daily mantras to hold himself accountable and stay focused on what matters most.
After his third year at Stanford, head coach David Shaw told Okereke during an end-of-year evaluation: "You're a good player, you do everything right," — a remark that became the catalyst for Okereke to stop settling and fully dedicate himself to reaching his NFL potential.