Watsonville football player drafted by NFL
The Denver Broncos are about to get a dose of Central Coast spirit.
“I’m coming in with the mindset that I’m going to be protecting Peyton Manning on Sundays,” Ty Sambrailo said.
At 6 feet 6 inches, Sambrailo stands tall, with a big goal to compete for the right tackle spot.
On Draft Day, Sambrailo accomplished a milestone — to play pro. He was picked in the second round, by his favorite team.
“Leading up to the draft, I kind of told myself whatever happens, happens… there’s no need to be nervous. But once you’re sitting there and you’re seeing names fly off the board, it tends to get a little nerve wrecking.”
Sambrailo says he caught football fever at 12, and tackled the challenges ahead of him.
Coming from a small school with only about 300 students, he said he had to step up his marketing game to get noticed.
“I made highlight tapes, and kind of had to pester people to make sure they watched them.”
Sambrailo says he didn’t have that many offers to play in college, but one school noticed his ambition.
“Luckily Colorado State saw that, and gave me a shot.”
Now he’s going pro, and playing in a state that has become a second home, already spending the last four years there.
But tucked away in Santa Cruz County, it’s clear Watsonville will always be the place that shaped him.
Big heart, with big dreams, but always from a small town.
Sambrailo’s advice to kids who want to become professional athletes is to set goals and work hard until you get them. He leaves for Colorado on Thursday.
