DENVER _ An inconspicuous backpack occupies the bottom shelf of Drew Lock's cubbyhole inside the Denver Broncos' practice facility in Dove Valley, Colo. Although he has owned it for less than a year, it rarely leaves his side.
A few minutes before practice Wednesday, he unzipped its top flap to glance at an item he purposefully views almost every day. Seconds later, his right hand emerged from the pocket holding a small sheet of paper.
His NFL draft card. Seven months ago, he preserved the history, knowing he never wanted to forget how that night ended. He has the information memorized:
Denver Broncos.
Lock, Drew.
Quarterback.
The University of Missouri.
His eyes always settle on the final line.
Overall: No. 42.
"If you feel tired; if you feel bad for yourself," Lock said, "(Bleep) that.
"I gotta prove these people wrong."
The hardest night of Lock's football life _ April 25, 2019 _ is positioned in the most visible spot in a bag he carries everywhere he travels. To understand why, here's a story from his father.
When Lock, a University of Missouri and Lee's Summit (Mo.) High School graduate, participated in his first tackle football game in the fourth grade, he played tailback. He had scored four touchdowns, and few were happier than his dad, Andy, a former Mizzou offensive lineman who didn't want to push his kid into football but sure as hell kept his fingers crossed that Drew just might enjoy it. And, boy, if it didn't seem like he had something special.
But after the fourth touchdown, Lock came back to the sideline crying.
"What's wrong?" Andy asked.
"Dad, I don't like it," he replied. "I don't want to play tailback anymore.
"I want to be a quarterback."
He was insistent. Couldn't be told no. In the next practice, his very first as a quarterback, Lock knew he was where he wanted to be, and he was already fighting to show he deserved to be there. He's played the position ever since.
Before he even reached high school, Andy thought, You know what, this might work out.
Lock starred at Lee's Summit. Followed his dad's trail to Missouri. He's 6-5 with a big arm. He gets the chance to play an NFL game in his hometown Sunday, when the Broncos visit the Chiefs. And, well, from the outside looking in, it seems like this has been a pretty smooth ride.
But there's an edge to Drew Lock, made tangible by that index card, and first discovered on that fourth-grade practice field. It can be traced to Lee's Summit, when he received criticism for winning the Simone Award as the top high school player in Kansas City. Some coaches didn't believe the winner should come from a program with a losing record.
It can be traced to Missouri, when after he led the nation in touchdowns, draft experts directed him to go back to school for another year. Told him he had more to prove. The system bore responsibility for those numbers.
And you can bet it traces back to that draft night, back to that hours-long wait in the green room for a phone call that never came.
"Everyone thinks he's had a perfect life," said Eric Thomas, Lock's coach at Lee's Summit High. "He's gone through a lot of adversity in football."
