NEW YORK — A former volunteer firefighter who never played football until high school has become the most compelling draft pick in the NFL after being selected by the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday.
A group of fellow firefighters from the West Kelowna Fire Department in British Columbia, Canada, applauded as offensive lineman Danny Watkins was selected.
Watkins had joined the fire department as a volunteer as a 16-year-old.
Initially, Watkins chose to attend a junior college in California to pursue an education in firefighting, but quickly became an asset on the football field, eventually transferring to Baylor where he graduated.