From blue-blood program MVPs to small-school role players, five-star phenoms to draft-day darlings and even walk-on wonders, every pathway to the NFL is a story as unique as the individual who claims it as their own.
But Jayleen Record has had to find a different way to stand out. Literally.
The Dallas native was spotted just outside The Star in Frisco on Friday morning, wearing his cleats draped around his neck and holding a handwritten sign touting the measurables that he put up as a wide receiver and kick returner at Weber State.
At the bottom of the poster board, below his 40 time, his bench press totals, and his impressive vertical and broad jump numbers is written (in two different marker colors), “IM READY TO PROVE MYSELF AGAIN!! DON’T FORGET ABOUT ME DURING THE DRAFT! 1SHOT!!”
He’s asking for that shot to come from his favorite pro team, appealing directly to those working inside team headquarters.
A closer look at Record’s numbers reveal real athleticism. Had he been invited to the scouting combine in Indianapolis, his 23 reps on the bench press would have ranked third out of all wide receivers (according to official NFL.com stats, not Record’s sign). His 10-foot-7-inch broad jump? Top 10. And only four receivers bested his 41-inch vertical.
But the former James Madison High School three-star recruit was unable to crack the lineup at SMU as anything more than a seldom-used kick- and punt-return man. He transferred to Weber State in Utah and played three years, increasing his reception and yardage stats from season to season and averaging over 10 yards per reception in each of those three years.
Record is no household name, but he’s not a nobody, either. Dane Brugler has him listed in “The Beast” as the 117th-best wide receiver in this year’s class.
Out of 380. That’s the top 30%.
But an uphill fight is nothing new to Record, who watched his father lose a battle with cancer and has experienced homelessness in his own life.
But Record’s 5-foot-7-inch, 170-pound frame makes him easy to dismiss. He’d be the shortest player on the Cowboys current roster. And on the scale, only KaVontae Turpin is lighter.
But the local product knows he needs to stand out some other way, which is why he’s standing out in front of The Star, ready to try to convince someone inside he deserves a shot.
At least one former Cowboy has noticed. Jesse Holley, who appeared in 28 games as a wide receiver in 2010 and 2011 and now covers the team for AllCity DLLS, tagged Hall of Famer Michael Irvin on X with a heads-up about Record:
“Hey @michaelirvin88 Mannnnnn I Wish There Something Out There Where Guys Like This Could Possibly Earn An Opportunity To Showcase His Talent & Maybe, Who Knows, Possibly Get A Camp Invite To A NFL Team. I Mean, Maybe A Wild Idea But Surely Crazier Things Have Happen.”
Holley famously earned his own tryout spot with the Cowboys by winning Michael Irvin’s reality-TV competition, 4th and Long, back in 2009.
Now Record is trying to create his own show-stopping moment.
“I’LL RUN MY 40 RIGHT NOW,” the other side of his sign reads, with a promise that he can hit 4.3 to 4.4 seconds if given the chance to lace up those cleats. (He hit 4.52 on his pro day, but his sign states it was just 40 degrees in Ogden that day in mid-March.)
His numbers, his story, his two times as a team captain, his sheer unwillingness to give up on his NFL dream…
Record hopes some of it- all of it, any of it- is enough to get the Cowboys to do exactly what it says on his handmade sign:
“JUST PRESS RECORD.”
Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Long-shot WR prospect takes case directly to Cowboys, appeals to team with handmade sign
Reporting by Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
