Current and former members of the Dallas Cowboys reflected upon their own experiences with the NFL Draft upon seeing the 2018 New Era NFL Draft caps for 2018.
As the first 32 selections of the 2018 NFL Draft put on their team-appropriate 2018 New Era Draft Caps for the first time on Thursday night, they were just the latest in a long series of first round picks to instantly commemorate their selections with New Era swag.
Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, who was selected 69th overall by Dallas in 2003, recounted how it felt to put on the Cowboys gear for the first time after his selection, similar to how former Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch did on Thursday night.
“When you put on that gear for the first time that dream becomes a reality,” Witten said. “At the same time these coaches will have high expectations for them. For me to play 15 years in Dallas with America’s Team, it’s very surreal. I think all kids appreciate what the Cowboys are all about. I’ve certainly tried to embrace that.”
Other players take a less-traditional route to the same end, putting on NFL team gear for the first time. An example of that path is Dallas wide receiver Cole Beasley. Beasley went undrafted after concluding his career at SMU, but was undeterred and ended up putting on the Cowboys gear in 2012 anyway.
“I kind of already knew that I wasn’t going to be drafted,” Beasley explained. “So I was just waiting for that weekend to be over. The Cowboys were starting to call a little bit and telling me to hang in there. Initially I thought I was going to choose the Texans, but the way it worked out the Cowboys were the most engaging. It was a good deal and it has worked out for me thus far. It’s all you think about as a kid. From the start, I knew what I wanted to be. I finally got to that point because you just want to get there and prove yourself. It was full of a lot of emotions for me.”
Players who began their careers long before the incorporation of New Era swag into the NFL Draft, like former Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett, are now amazed at how the draft has exploded as an event. That’s partially thanks to New Era’s fresh styles and high visibility at the event.
“You have people coming in and filling up stadiums now,” Dorsett commented. “A lot of people are coming out to show their supports for their franchises. A lot of people are out to see what their favorite teams are going to do. I need a lot of these [New Era] hats for me, myself, I, my sons, my grandsons and my friends!”
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New Era has been a part of helping make being drafted into the NFL a more memorable event for draftees for years now. Putting on that team-branded swag for the first time mere moments after being named is something the players will never forget, and fans can replicate with their own caps as well.