A charmed life that has only known success has led Derek Sherrod to the Green Bay Packers – make that the Super Bowl-champion Green Bay Packers. See?
Sherrod was selected by the Packers with the final pick of the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday. What else would you expect?
He's 6-5, 310, and is light enough on his feet to have been a basketball star in high school. "Oh, yeah," Sherrod said.
Sherrod had scholarship offers coming out of high school in Columbus, Miss., from Florida, Alabama, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Miami. Of course.
Injuries? Not a one, unless you count having missed a game in college due to a staph infection; no surgeries, no bum knees, shoulders, etc.
Oh, by the way, he got his degree from Mississippi State in business administration last August – with a 3.54 grade point average, no less – then immediately began pursuing a Masters in sports administration.
The guy can do it all. He can play and think, and he lives right, too. He's a general manager's dream pick.
So, Derek, wadda ya know about Green Bay and the Packers?
"They're one of the best teams in the history of the league. The fan support is phenomenal," he said.
That's correct.
He was a right tackle at Mississippi State as a freshman; he spent his final three years playing left tackle, the natural spot for a man of his size and movement. Draftniks marvel at the grace with which he moves.
"I could play either one. I played both in college. I'll play whatever position my team needs me to play so I can help them win another Super Bowl," Sherrod said.
His skills have been described as perfectly suited for the blindside pass-protector role.
"I'd love to accept that responsibility. I've been groomed for the past three years in that spot and I'm comfortable with it. It's a job and you have to take the job seriously," Sherrod said.
The Packers would seem to represent just another step in Sherrod's upwardly mobile and ultra-successful life. His older brother, Dezmond, spent time on the Steelers' and Texans' practice squads as a tight end, but Dezmond's baby brother got the size that lands players in the first round and usually results in long, lucrative careers. That is, no doubt, General Manager Ted Thompson's plan for Sherrod.
"They're very proud of me," he said of his parents. "They're very excited. They've guided me throughout life."
They did it flawlessly.
