Prior to the draft, Western Oregon tight end Kevin Boss had
a visit with the New York Giants, and by the time he left their facilities
he was hopeful that he would hear his name called by the team during draft
weekend. Boss had made a solid connection with Giants tight end coach Mike
Pope--one of the top coaches in the NFL at that position--in the months leading
up to the draft.
On draft weekend, Boss' dream of becoming a Giant came true. His phone rang
while New York was on the clock in the fifth-round and one of the team's lead
scouts had an important question for him.
"It was funny, he first wanted to make sure I was injury-free,"
Boss said just hours after being selected. "He asked if I had pulled my
hamstring getting up from the couch to answer the phone [laughs], and I hadn't,
so that was good.
"He asked me if I was ready to be a Giant, and I said, 'yes sir.'"
That exchange officially kicked off what is sure to become a true odd couple
relationship in New York for the mild-mannered and respectful rookie
as he will work alongside the brash and boisterous Jeremy Shockey. But the
6-foot-6, 256-pound Boss is looking forward to it.
"I'm really looking forward to being able to
learn from him and hopefully get to know him," he said.
And he's also looking forward to working with Giants quarterback Eli Manning.
"It'll be a little different than balls I've
caught in the past from different quarterbacks along the way," he said.
"Yeah, I'm excited to have the opportunity to catch a pass from Eli
Manning."
Scout.com subscribers can listen in as Kevin provides
more details about his draft day experience, more thoughts on Eli Manning, and
as he sends a special message to Giants fans in this 5-minute audio clip. Just
click the link below to listen in:
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