A note to all you NFL hopefuls out there: always have a highlight reel. If former East Carolina University recipient Isaiah Winstead is any indication, you may be signed.
During his senior year at ECU, Winstead racked up 88 catches for 1,085 yards and 6 six touchdowns. While that performance was impressive, Winstead was not selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. To make matters worse, Winstead was not given a camp invitation or an undrafted rookie deal after the draft.
Disagreeing with that decision, he decided to post his own highlights on Twitter in the hopes that someone on an NFL team would see it and right that wrong.
The gamble worked. Days after posting the video, which has been viewed more than 4.7 million times, Winstead signed a deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
Sometimes it pays to bet on yourself.
Although he was signed by the highlights, Winstead has a lot more to prove if he hopes to make the 49ers final roster. Undrafted free agents have no guarantees in the NFL, and Winstead will have to beat some more established and highly skilled players to keep his NFL dream alive.
Then again, Winstead has already defied the odds by getting signed in the first place. And if those highlights really do transfer to the practice field, Winstead will prove that 31 NFL teams missed him.
The 49ers might have too, were it not for Winstead’s willingness to advertise his skills.
